psychocentric

English

WOTD – 27 September 2021

Etymology

The adjective is derived from psycho- (prefix meaning ‘relating to the mind or soul’) +‎ -centric (suffix meaning ‘having a specified object at the centre, or as the focus of attention’). The noun is probably derived from the adjective.

Adjective sense 2 (“of a tourist: tending to avoid adventures and risks”) and the noun sense (“tourist who tends to avoid adventures and risks”) were coined by the American travel researcher Stanley C. Plog in a paper presented to the Southern California Chapter of the Travel Research Association on 10 October 1972, which was later published in February 1974: see the quotation.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsaɪkə(ʊ)ˈsɛntɹɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌsaɪkoʊˈsɛntɹɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɛntɹɪk
• Hyphenation: psy‧cho‧centr‧ic

Adjective

psychocentric (comparative more psychocentric, superlative most psychocentric)

1. (philosophy) Primarily focused on the mind or spirit, especially as opposed to the body. [from late 19th c.]
   • 1890 January 11, “His Choice”, in Pick-Me-Up, volume III, number 67, London: […] Wertheimer, Lea & Co., […]; and published by Henry Reichardt, […], →OCLC, page 244, columns 1–2:

     I have confessed that I feel drawn to you by many psychocentric influences.

   • 1912 August, Edwin B[issel] Holt et al., “Introduction”, in The New Realism: Coöperative Studies in Philosophy, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, section I (The Historical Significance of the New Realism), page 7:

     For the issue between realism and subjectivism does not arise from a psychocentric predicament—a difficulty of conceiving of objects apart from any consciousness—but rather from the much more radical 'ego-centric predicament,' the difficulty of conceiving known things to exist independently of my knowing them.

   • 1936, J[ohn] O[ulton] Wisdom, “Towards the Psychocentric Conception of Right”, in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, volume XXXVI (New Series), London: Harrison and Sons, […], →JSTOR, →OCLC, section III, page 73:

     My view is psychocentric in that a judgment which appears to have an objective reference is found psychologically to have a reference, unsuspected by the person judging, to himself. But an account of it is not a complete psychocentric exposition until one or two gaps are filled in. […] I have chosen to illustrate the psychocentric concept by means of right rather than good merely because this concept has been taken as the more fundamental in modern ethics.

   • 1959, Liberation, New York, N.Y.: Liberation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 12, column 2:

     [T]his alienation was a result of the introduction of rational calculation and power as a socially and economically determining factor, which implied the elimination of the Christian (and older) psychocentric traditions, faiths, social and personal relations.

   • 1963, Hans Weigert, “[Introduction]”, in Peter Gorge, transl., edited by Harald Busch and Bernd Lohse, Gothic Sculpture (European Sculpture), New York, N.Y.: Macmillan, →OCLC, page vii:

     But there is a fundamental difference between Greek and Gothic sculpture, despite the very similar treatment of draperies and the human form. To the Greeks, the face was merely part of the body. The Gothic makes it the 'window of the soul'. Gothic faces are psychocentric, dominated by the soul, which speaks through the eye.

   • 1990, Gavin I. Langmuir, “Physiocentric Religion”, in History, Religion, and Antisemitism, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Calif., Oxford, Oxfordshire: University of California Press, →ISBN, part 2 (Proposals for a Historiographic Solution), page 230:

     In most psychocentric religions, the cosmic forces or gods not only create and control physical processes, they are often embodied themselves; in physiocentric religions the cosmic forces, however mindless, create human consciousness and determine human will.

   • 1997, John E. Joseph, “The ‘Language Myth’ Myth: Roy Harris’s Red Herrings”, in George Wolf, Nigel Love, editors, Linguistics Inside Out: Roy Harris and His Critics (Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science, Series IV; Current Issues in Linguistic Theory; 148), Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Pa.: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 14:

     Surrogationalism holds that words stand for things or ideas, and therefore emphasizes the function of language. […] He [Roy Harris] likewise divides surrogationalism into two types, "reocentric", which "supposes that the things words stand for are to be located 'out there' in the world external to the individual language-user", and "psychocentric", which "supposes that what words stand for is to be located internally, that is to say in the mind of the language-user" […].

   • 2005, Roy Harris, “Introduction”, in The Semantics of Science, London, New York, N.Y.: Continuum International Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 3:

     In the work of individual theorists, psychocentric and reocentric assumptions are often combined in various ways. If you think that the word copper is to be defined by reference to the actual properties of a certain metal, your definition will be reocentric. But if you take it to be defined by reference to certain conceptions of, or beliefs about, a metal (whether such conceptions or beliefs are mistaken or not), your definition will be psychocentric.

   • 2009, Robert Charles Elliot, “Ethics and Values”, in Robert Charles Elliot, editor, Institutional Issues Involving Ethics and Justice (Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems; 3), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Eolss Publishers, →ISBN, section 5.2 (Psychocentric Ethics), page 264:

     [I]ntensive logging would inevitably cause non-humans to suffer during the activity of logging itself and as a longer-term consequence of habitat destruction. A psychocentric ethic would count this as an ethical minus, which must be taken into account in evaluating the logging policy, in addition to how things will be for humans.

2. (psychology, tourism) Of a tourist: tending to avoid adventures and risks, preferring the familiar; self-inhibiting. [from early 1970s]

   Coordinate terms: allocentric, midcentric

   • 1972, Cosmopolitan, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 108, column 1:

     These experts type some aerophobes as psychocentric individuals so self-focused on imaginary problems they have little energy left to enjoy life. Other fearful flyers are stymied by territory-boundedness—an unadventurous spirit.

   • 1991, Ugur Yucelt, Phyllis W. Isley, “Marketing of Tourism in a Competitive World Environment”, in Erdener Kaynak, editor, International Marketing: Sociopolitical and Behavioral Aspects, Binghamton, N.Y.: International Business Press, The Haworth Press, →ISBN, section V (Special International Marketing Topics), page 369:

     Members of the near-psychocentric and psychocentric segment, the remaining segment (15–20%), prefer a destination that does not exhibit its foreign culture. These tourists spend all of their time inside tourism complexes, stay for shorter periods of time, and are not big spenders. They are bargain hunters, and look for low-cost vacation spots.

   • 1995, Robert Madrigal, “Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style”, in Journal of Leisure Research‎^[1], volume 27, number 2, Arlington, Va.: National Recreation and Park Association, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 August 2021, page 128:

     [Stanley C.] Plog (1974, 1990, 1991b) delineated personality types along a continuum ranging from allocentrism to psychocentrism. The psychocentric personality type tends toward territory boundedness, insecurity, and powerlessness. Psychocentric individuals also tend to have non-active lifestyles and are non-adventurous. In contrast, allocentric individuals tend to be self-confident, intellectually curious, and feel in control of their lives.

   • 2003, “Tourism Motivation and Behaviour”, in Berendien Lubbe, editor, Tourism Management in Southern Africa, Cape Town, Western Cape: Pearson Education South Africa, published 2005, →ISBN, part 2 (The Demand for Tourism), page 38, column 2:

     Remember that whether a tourist is more psychocentric or more allocentric depends on the different motivations and the different destinations chosen by the tourist. The tourist may also oscillate between both psychocentric and allocentric choices. For example, a tourist may choose an allocentric holiday in December to a remote game reserve, but have a psychocentric short break in July to Singapore, where he or she may prefer a package tour and will stick to the touristy areas of town.

Derived terms

• psychocentrism

Translations

primarily focused on the mind or spirit

of a tourist: tending to avoid adventures and risks

Noun

psychocentric (plural psychocentrics)

1. (psychology, tourism) A tourist who tends to avoid adventures and risks, preferring the familiar. [from early 1970s]

   Coordinate terms: allocentric, midcentric

   • 1974 February, Stanley C. Plog, “Why Destination Areas Rise and Fall in Popularity”, in Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, volume 14, number 4, Ithaca, N.Y.: School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 55, column 2:

     [A] non-flyer was likely to experience many of these same problems which often resulted in very severely restricted life styles. Basically, we can see that this is a self inhibited, nervous, and non-adventuresome type of person. We call this individual the Psychocentric, from "psyche" meaning "self," and "centric" meaning the centering of one's thoughts or concerns on the small problem areas of one's life.

   • 1980, Timothy B. Knopp, G. Ballman, L. C. Merriam, “The Dynamics of Recreation Participation: Ski Touring in Minnesota”, in Proceedings: 1980 National Outdoor Recreation Trends Symposium (USDA Forest Service General Technical Report; NE-57), volume II, Broomall, Pa.: Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, →OCLC, page 77, column 2:

     Currently, given the high level of visibility ski touring is experiencing, peer influence becomes more of a factor as participants are drawn from the marginally interested population and the "psychocentrics" or followers.

   • 1995, Robert Madrigal, “Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style”, in Journal of Leisure Research‎^[2], volume 27, number 2, Arlington, Va.: National Recreation and Park Association, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 August 2021, page 128:

     According to [Stanley C.] Plog (1991b), psychocentrics tend to prefer a high degree of familiarity in their travel and, as a result, enjoy group or "packaged" tours. In contrast, allocentrics enjoy vacations to exotic and unique destinations, and prefer to travel independently (i.e., not as part of group tours).

   • 1999, K. K. Sharma, “Tourism Psychology and Motivation”, in Tourism and Culture, New Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, published 2004, →ISBN, page 189:

     [P]sychocentrics could conceivably vacation in essentially allocentric destinations (with the exception of people with extremely low incomes). For instance, a psychocentric may travel to a remote area under the security of a completely planned, fully escorted tour. In other words, the security provided by travelling with a group of similar tourists, and being escorted at all times, may persuade a psychocentric to travel, say, to Asia.

   • [2001, Doris S. Davidoff, Philip G. Davidoff, Donald M. Davidoff, Douglas G. Davidoff, “The Classic Motivation Mistake”, in Parenting the Office, Gretna, New Orleans, La.: Pelican Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 209:

     Psychocentrics do not want to try anything new until they are sure of what it is like. The psychocentric waits for friends to do something and will follow whatever is in fashion. Simply put, psychocentrics are at ease only when within their comfort zone, while allocentrics are driven to leave their comfort zone on a regular basis.

     Applied in an employment context.]

   • 2020, J. Christopher Holloway, Claire Humphreys, “The Demand for Tourism”, in The Business of Tourism, 11th edition, London, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, part 1 (Defining and Analysing Tourism and Its Impacts), page 75:

     [Stanley C.] Plog recognised that personalities change over time, and given time, the psychocentrics may become allocentric in their choice of holiday destination and activity as they gain experience of travel. It has long been accepted that many tourists actually seek novelty from a base of security and familiarity. This enables the psychocentric to enjoy more exotic forms of tourism.

   • 2020, Peter Robinson, Michael Lück, Stephen L. J. Smith, “Responsible Tourism Management”, in Tourism, 2nd edition, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, →ISBN, part 5 (Tourism Development), page 366, column 1:

     Another typology of tourists was introduced by [Stanley C.] Plog (1991), who used psychographic analysis to create a continuum of tourist types. While Plog's model is a continuum with indefinite points, he was able to divide tourists into five main groups: psychocentrics, near psychocentrics, midcentrics, near allocentrics, and allocentrics. […] At the one extreme, psychocentrics are those travellers that are not adventurous, and seek amenities and culture similar to their home environment. At the other end of the continuum, an allocentric tourist is very adventurous, seeks and embraces different cultures, local food, and requires only basic tourism infrastructure.

Translations

tourist who tends to avoid adventures and risks

Further reading

• allocentrism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia