History and Development of Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology is a relatively new discipline in the field of psychology. It is a discipline that investigates the relationship of the processes in the brain with behavior and thinking. In other words, it can be defined as a discipline that seeks to explain how the nervous system produces human behavior. Physicians in this discipline, in most cases, focus on how diseases or injury of the brain affect cognitive responses and functions of a human brain.
The history of Neuropsychology can be traced as early as 500 BC with physicians such as Hippocrates and Aristotle is credited for the first research. Aristotle focused on the heart and thought that it was the main engine of mental processes and due to its inert nature; he looked at the brain, and concluded that it is a mechanism that cools the heat generated by the heart. This was held for many years by other physicians through the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, and after further research, the beliefs began faltering in the 17th century.
Thomas Willis then initiated the physiological approach to the brain and behavior. The words “hemisphere” and “lobe” were instituted by him when referring to the brain. Later on, other physicians, including Jean-Baptiste, Paul Broca and Karl Spencer advanced the studies at the beginning of the 19th century. The fact that one’s skull determines their level of intelligence was discarded by Jean-Baptiste, how speech is understood and produced by Paul Broca and how the brain works in overall by Karl Spencer.
Similarities and Differences between Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology
When it comes to differences, clinical psychology involves assessing, diagnosing and treating psychological and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, neuropsychology consists in assessing, diagnosing, and treating psychological disorders relating to conditions of the brain like emotional, behavioral, and cognitive deficits that come as a result of injury, dementia or stroke. When it comes to similarities, both disciplines study emotion, intellectual processes, and consciousness. All these are associated with one part of the body, which is the brain.