Noun

Singular psychic

Plural psychics

psychic (plural psychics)

1. A person who possesses, or appears to possess, extra-sensory abilities such as precognition, clairvoyance and telepathy, or who appears to be susceptible to paranormal or supernatural influence.
2. A person who supposedly contacts the dead. A medium.
3. In gnostic theologian Valentinus' triadic grouping of man the second type; a person focused on intellectual reality (the other two being hylic and pneumatic).

The word psychic (pronounced /ˈsaɪkɨk/; from the Greek psychikos—"of the soul, mental") refers to a claimed ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception or to people said to have such abilities. It is also used to describe to theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation and cold reading to produce the appearance of such abilities. It can also denote an ability of the mind to influence the world physically and to the telekinetic powers professed by those such as Uri Geller.

Psychics appear regularly in fiction and science fiction, such as the The Dead Zone by Stephen King, or Jean Grey from the Marvel comic book universe. A large industry exists whereby psychics provide advice and counsel to clients. Some famous contemporary psychics include Miss Cleo, Sylvia Browne, Danielle Egnew, and John Edward.

Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or self-delusion. In 1988 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences gave a report on the subject that concluded there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena." In a 1990 survey of members of that organization, 4% of respondents agreed that extrasensory perception had been scientifically demonstrated, or that it happened sometimes. Asked about research in the field, 22% would discourage it, 63% would allow but not encourage it, and 10% would encourage it.