A
soul is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing.
[1] Many philosophical and religious systems teach humans have souls; some attribute souls to all living things and even inanimate objects (such as rivers); this belief is commonly called
animism.
[2] The soul is often believed to exit the body and live on after a person’s
death, and some religions posit that
God creates souls.
The soul has often been deemed integral or essential to
consciousness and
personality, and may be synonymous with
spirit,
mind or
self.
[3] Although the terms
soul and
spirit are sometimes used interchangeably,
soul may denote a more worldly and less
transcendent aspect of a person.
[4]
According to
psychologist James Hillman, soul has an affinity for negative thoughts and images, whereas spirit seeks to rise above the entanglements of life and death.
[5] The words
soul and
psyche can also be treated synonymously, although
psyche has more physical connotations, whereas
soul is connected more closely to spirituality and religion.
[6]