'autopsychology' originates from Greek, specifically from the combining forms 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos') and 'psychology' (from Greek 'psychē' + '-logia'), where 'autos' meant 'self' and 'psychē' meant 'soul' or 'mind'.

'autopsychology' was coined in modern English by combining classical Greek roots ('auto-' + 'psychology') during the development of specialized psychological terminology in the late 19th to 20th century; it follows the pattern of other compound formations in English and entered academic and clinical use as a technical/rare term.

Initially it referred broadly to the study of the self's mental life (self-directed or first-person psychological study); over time it has retained that core sense but has also come to be used more narrowly in some contexts to denote particular clinical or theoretical approaches that emphasize internal, self-focused processes.