Psychological processes

The term "psychological processes" encompasses the broad array of mental mechanisms and functions—such as cognition, emotion, memory, perception, and decision-making—that arise from interactions within the nervous system, especially the brain. These processes are shaped by complex interplay among genetic, neurobiological, hormonal, and environmental factors, and are the primary subject matter of psychology and neuroscience. While psychological processes underlie all mental activity and behavior, they are not themselves molecular entities and are not classified as therapeutic targets (such as receptors, enzymes, or transporters) suitable for direct pharmacological intervention. Instead, drugs and therapies often aim to modulate the biological substrates (e.g., neurotransmitters, receptor activity) that influence these processes[1][5][7].

Other names

Biopsychological processesmental processespsychological mechanisms