Anthropomorphism
Etymology
From Greek "anthropos" (human being) and "morphe" (form, shape) — literally "human-shaped." It first described picturing gods in human form and later widened to any projection of human qualities onto the nonhuman.
noun · /an-thruh-puh-MOR-fiz-um/
The attribution of human traits, feelings, or intentions to animals, objects, or forces.
What it names
Names our reflex to see a mind like ours in a pet, a storm, a chatbot, or a stubborn machine.
Example
Naming the robot vacuum and apologizing to it when you kick it is harmless anthropomorphism.
Related idea
Anthropomorphism gives human traits to nonhumans as a genuine reflex; personification is its literary cousin — a deliberate figure of speech rather than a real belief.