1. the theory that psychology is the basis of philosophy and that psychological methods should be used to solve philosophical problems
Usage: philosophy; academic
2. the tendency to interpret events or behavior primarily in psychological terms

Examples

• The philosopher rejected psychologism as a valid approach to understanding logic.
• Critics argued that his theory suffered from excessive psychologism.
• The debate over psychologism dominated early 20th-century philosophy.
• She avoided psychologism by focusing on objective rather than subjective factors.
• The movement away from psychologism led to new developments in analytical philosophy.
• His work was criticized for its reliance on psychologism rather than empirical evidence.