metapsychology
n. the study of, or a concern for, the fundamental underlying principles of any psychology. The term was used by Sigmund Freud to denote his own psychological theory, emphasizing its ability to offer comprehensive explanations of psychological phenomena on a fundamental level. Freud’s criteria for a metapsychology were that it should explain a psychical phenomenon in terms of (a) its dynamics, (b) its topology, and (c) its economic aspects. Although these specific criteria apply most clearly to Freud’s own theory, the notion of metapsychology as explanation at a fundamental and comprehensive level continues to be a useful construct. —metapsychological
adj.