Phrenography

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The discipline involves the systematic representation of mental functions and cognitive processes as well as the analysis of psychological traits and their impacts on behavior
2. It is a method that focuses on documenting, analyzing, and illustrating mental activities alongside their effects on behavior and personality traits
3. The study seeks to systematically map mental faculties and cognitive processes while also evaluating the influence of psychological characteristics on actions

Etymology: "Phrenography" is built from two Greek elements: "phren", meaning mind or diaphragm (the Greeks thought the mind resided in the diaphragm region), and "graphia", meaning writing or description. The root "phren" is also the source of "schizophrenia" and "frenzy" in English, though these reached English through different routes. The "-graphy" ending comes from the Greek "graphia", the same suffix found in "geography" and "photography", so the word is essentially a compound of "mind" and "writing." Its literal sense is a written account or description of the mind, which fits its modern meaning as the systematic study and representation of mental functions and personality traits.