Faculty psychology is the name given to an array of related theories about how the mind functions. These theories emerged in the Enlightenment philosophy of the 17th and 18th centuries and remained prevalent in theological and philosophical discourse and also educational practice throughout the 19th century. Theories of mental faculties sought to categorize the functions of mind and explain how these faculties were related to each other and how mental faculties made sense of the outside world. It is important to note, however, that the term faculty psychology only came into common usage in the early 20th century as scholars in the nascent discipline of psychology critiqued the theories of mind previously set forth by natural philosophers. This entry discusses how the terms faculty and ...