Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[kevin_lc]

Hello teachers!

I am a Chinese student and I get confused about the usage of �psychology� and �mentality�.

Should I say �he has a defensive psychology.�
or �he has a defensive mentality.� ?

Thanks in advance for your enlightenment!

[Yavanna]

Hi Kevin_lc,

Psychology is the study of the mind (mentality); and it's an abstact noun, a school subject. You could say, "I'm studying psychology."

Mentality is also a noun but it describes how a person's mind functions, emotionally and/or intellectually. So when you are describing how a person thinks, you'd say, "He's defensive," or "(less common) "She has a defensive mentality." In the first example, I understand that you are referring to the way someone thinks.

Hope that helps!