— mentalistic , adj. — mentalistically , adv.
/men"tl iz'euhm/ , n.
1. the doctrine that objects of knowledge have no existence except in the mind of the perceiver.
2. the doctrine that human conduct reflects the operation of a nonmaterial principle.
3. any psychological theory that accepts as a proper subject of study the mental basis for human behavior. Cf. behaviorism .
[ 1870-75; MENTAL 1 + -ISM ]