'human-psychological' originates from English, specifically the words 'human' and 'psychological'. 'human' ultimately comes from Latin 'humanus' meaning 'of man, humane', and 'psychological' derives from Greek elements 'psyche' meaning 'soul, mind' and 'logos' meaning 'study' or 'reason'.

'human-psychological' is a modern English compound formed by joining the adjective 'human' (from Old French/Latin 'humanus') and 'psychological' (from Modern Latin/Greek 'psychologia'). Each component evolved independently—'psyche' + 'logos' formed Late Latin and then Modern English 'psychology', while 'human' entered English via Old French and Latin—and they were combined in English to create the compound meaning 'relating to human psychology'.

Initially the components referred separately to 'human' (relating to people) and 'psychological' (relating to mind/study of mind); over time the compound has been used to specifically indicate matters that concern the psychological aspects of humans, emphasizing the human-focused psychological perspective.