introspectionist means someone given to the introspective method of examining the phenomena of the mind or soul. It carries an Arena rating of 1336, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, introspectionist ranks #1,192 of 13,225 for Most Incisive Words, #5,411 of 13,225 for Most Malleable Words, #5,781 of 13,225 for Most Satisfying to Say, #6,756 of 13,225 for Funniest Words.
Why “introspectionist” is a great word
Someone who practices the examination of conscious thought by turning the gaze of the mind inward upon itself. The term is built from *introspection*, from the Latin *intrōspicere* (“to look inside”), and the agent suffix *-ist*, first appearing in recorded English in 1881. Unlike a “behaviorist,” who regards the internal theater as an impenetrable black box, or an “extrovert,” who lives by the light cast upon the social stage, the introspectionist dwells in the dimmer light of the mind’s own lantern. It is the deliberate stillness of one listening for the faint reverberation of a decision, tracing the filament of a forgotten memory, or sifting the silt of a half-formed feeling—a commitment to knowing the self, even when the self is the only country one can never truly leave.
Etymology
From introspection + -ist.
noun
- Someone given to the introspective method of examining the phenomena of the mind or soul.“It is no surprise then that Sartre takes issue with the tendency of introspectionists to treat psychological states as empirical facts that can be accurately accessed and studied by means of an introspective, observational effort.”
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