"Psyche", is a commonly exclaimed word used frequently among todays teenagers. This prefix can be used to mean a variety of different things, all of which are connected by the definition of the word.
In the Oxford English Dictionary, it is defined as, 1. To subject to psychoanalysis. 2. In bridge, to make a bid that misrepresents ones hand in order to deceive ones opponents. 3. To influence someone psychologically, to excite, stimulate; to prepare mentally for a special effort or the like; to gain psychological advantage over, to intimidate, to demoralize. 4. Without. To analyze in psychological terms; to work out. 5. With out. To break down mentally; to become confused or deranged.
Americans commonly use this term as a slang word with many different meanings. Psyche can be used as a verb, "to psyche out," as a past participle, "to be psyched out," or as a noun, "Psyche class was really boring today." The slang word "Psyche" is most frequently used to be negative. To date, "psyche" is used among American youth as a term added to a phrase with a desired negative connotation, such as, "I really enjoyed that biology test. psyche!" When using "psyche" as a slang word, giving the previous statement a negative connotation, it can compare to the definition in which "with out" is used, in which one is broken down mentally. Both consist of a negative meaning, or make another term or statement negative or false. The term is also defined as to pertain to deception, or lying, which is also found in the slang meaning of the word. To be facetious is to lie, or to deceive someone. Deception is to fool someone; to fool someone is mentally confusing him or her, again related to the mind.
Due to the definition of the word "psyche", it also sounds appropriate being used as a slang word. Since the word is defined as, "To subject to psychoanalysis" this definition can be stretched to be a slang word meaning, "To outsmart another person". People often use the word in this way, such as, "She psyched me out!"
In 1957, the word was most commonly used in this slang form. Then in 1961, the word meant to trick or fool, still pertaining to the basic idea of disturbing someone mentally. It was used in this sense most commonly referring to skiing downhill, then in 1968-1970, the word began to develop into a slang meaning that is still used today, to be excited. This classification of the word is used most commonly as a past participle; "We were all psyched up for the pep rally." From 1970 on, the term also developed into an exclamation uttered when one has fooled or deceived another, meaning, "Im only kidding". It is still commonly used today as such; in any usage or definition of the word, it always relates to a mental state of some sort. It can refer to oneself emotionally, spiritually or mentally. The relation to the inner self is derived from the term psychology, or the science of mind and behavior. The slang word itself is taken from the word psychology. This is noted when psychology is described in conversation as "psyche." Students commonly use this form of the slang word. From psychology to psychiatrist to psychological, the terms all relate to the mind. This relates well to the slang uses of the word, all of which pertain to the mind, mostly confusion. For the most part, "psyche" has had the same slang meaning for the past 30 years. Although the slang word has been around for a while, it is more commonly used now than ever before. This may be due to the strong relationship between the actual definition of the word "psyche" and the slang meaning, both of which pertain to the mind. Because of this strong relationship, the word will more than likely be used for generations to come.
In the New Dictionary of American Slang, by Robert L. Chapman Ph.D, the term is described appropriately as used today. The dictionary defines "psyche as, 1. College Psychology, especially an academic study. 2. Psychiatry; psychiatric. 3. To outsmart another person. 4. To sense or infer the motives, behavior, etc, of others: feel out a situation. 5. An exclamation uttered when one has fooled or deceived another, meaning, "Im only kidding". "Psyche out" is defined as, unnerve someone; cause someone to lose composure, will, skill, etc. It is also defined as, to raise oneself to a state of keen readiness and capability. All of these definitions can be correlated with psychology itself and the mind.
"To sense or infer the motives, behavior," is to know what another person has planned, or in mind. By doing so, the mind is used to understand the motives of another person. This definition of "psyche" also means the understanding of behavior, which is caused by the mind. In the third definition, "To outsmart someone," the term can be compared to a game. When one is trying to outsmart someone, a mental competition is taking place. As you can see, all of these definitions have to do with the human mind.
Psyche is also written extensively about in classical mythology. As found in Encyclopedia Britannica, Psyche, in this scenario is a princess who aroused the jealousy of Venus, who commanded her son Cupid to inspire Psyche with love for the most despicable of men. Instead, Cupid fell in love with her himself. In order to conceal his emotions, he placed Psyche in a remote place where he only visited her by night in total darkness, warning her of dire consequences if she ever saw him. Psyche was overcome with curiosity, however, and one night she lit a lamp and discovered that the figure at her side was the god of love himself. When a drop of oil fell on Cupid, he woke frightened, and fled. Wandering the earth in search of him, Psyche fell into the hands of Venus, who imposed upon her difficult tasks, the last of which was to fetch some beauty for Venus from the underworld. Finally, touched by Psyches repentance, Cupid rescued her, at his instigation; Jupiter made her immortal and gave her in marriage to Cupid.
In this tale, Psyche is made into a humanistic figure, one that has great emotional distress. Even in this instance, the mind is involved. Love, being the point to the story, is an emotion that is purely mental, again relating to the mind. This story proves that even during Greek mythology, "psyche" was a term or name related to ones mental state, which could be the reason for the evolution of the term in relation to the brain.
In Greek folklore the soul was pictured as a butterfly, which is another meaning of the word "psyche." When telling a story, or in symbolic drawings, the soul was depicted as a butterfly. Also, in Hellenistic art a young girl with butterfly wings is depicted as accompanying Cupid. This also shows the correlation between "psyche" and the mind. Ones soul and ones mind are considered intertwined.
Another term that can be closely related to the slang meaning of "psyche" is the slang word "not". The actual definition of the word "not," as found in Websters Collegiate Dictionary is, "used as a function word to make negative a group of words or a word." "Not" is most commonly an adverb, such as "He is not my son" meaning my son he is negative, or not. This term is also exclaimed after a phrase with a desired negative connotation, such as, "I really enjoyed that biology test.not!" Both "psyche" and "not" are used to make a sentence or a statement negative. "Psyche" relates to the mind enabling it to show that it can confuse someone. "Not", does not relate to the mind. Teenagers frequently use words like these to signify a specific meaning of something stated to each other. "Not" is usually used in a more offensive tone. This slang word usually follows a derogatory statement, or a statement containing sarcasm. "Psyche," on the other hand, is most commonly used less offensively, or as a joke. "Not," does not possess as many slang meanings or uses as "psyche", and is only compared to "psyche" when exclaimed in conversation with intent to show a negative connotation. These are two words with similar meanings that can be used the same way.
Without the actual meaning of the word "psyche", this word would not make sense as a slang word in the way it is used. However, due to the relationship between the mind, and the desire to want to express things negatively in a clever way, the word "psyche" is perfectly used as a slang word.