FROM SOUL TO PSYCHE

Abstract

The paper examines the similarities and differences between the concepts of ‘soul’ and ‘psyche’. The category of ‘soul’ is seen as broader, covering the entire interior of the intangible human life, open both to the immanent and the transcendent. The soul is understood as a self-sufficient, self-developing reality, whose major implementation is spiritual activity. The ‘psyche’ is understood as the ability to reflect the reality for the regulation of conduct with the aim of optimal adaptation. “Narrowing” of the concept of ‘soul’ to the concept of ‘psyche’ was first noted in the ancient philosophical thought. Plato defined the ‘soul’ as open to the transcendent whole, while according to Aristotle, its main purpose is the design of the material and the corporeal world. The narrowing of the ‘soul’ to the ‘psyche’ is the result of the materialization of human life, losing its metaphysical dimension. The “shirinking” of the soul in the psyche occurs in cycles, every time when culture turns into civilization.