Etymology
Psychic distance is made up of the Greek word "psychikos - ψυχικός", an adjective referring to an individual's mind and soul, and "distance" which is based on perceived cultural differences between a home country and a "foreign" country regardless of physical time and space factors which differs across diverse cultures.
The concept exists, therefore, in the mind's eye of the individual and it is their subjective perception that uniquely determines "psychic distance". By its very nature psychic distance is a humanistic reflection of individual acuity and not a collective, organisational or societal perspective.
In his book, King refers to his preference to use the term "aesthetic distance" rather than psychic distance, as he feels the latter term has misleading connotations in current usage.
Read more about this topic: Psychical Distance
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
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