Differences Between Psychology And Neuropsychology
Psychology is the science that is responsible for studying and intervening in the cognitive, affective and behavioral processes of people.
It is a discipline that covers various areas and has a multitude of branches; One of them, neuropsychology, is the science specialized in the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of cognitive and behavioral alterations caused by brain damage.
Next, We will see what these two disciplines consist of and what the main differences are between one and the other.
Psychology is a discipline that has numerous specialties, among the best known: clinical psychology, which focuses on psychological problems that affect people’s quality of life; educational psychology, focused on the treatment of learning difficulties; and the psychology of organizations and work, whose objective is to apply psychological techniques in the workplace.
In addition to having multiple specialties, psychology, in its clinical specialty, also has various “schools” or orientations, each of them with different methodologies, although they all have in common the objective of improving the lives of the people they serve.
However, cognitive-behavioral guidance is the one that currently has the most scientific evidence on its effectiveness and efficacy in the vast majority of psychological disorders.
Neuropsychology: definition and characteristics
Neuropsychology represents a specialized discipline within the field of psychology that focuses primarily on cognitive processes (memory, attention, executive functions, etc.) and its relationship with the effects of brain injuries and diseases.
The main function of a clinical neuropsychologist is to understand how psychological processes are related to certain brain structures. Through the neuropsychological evaluation, it is determined which cognitive functions are damaged and which are preserved in order to carry out a neuropsychological intervention that includes the rehabilitation of the damaged functions, with the aim of returning the person to normal social functioning.
Differences between psychology and neuropsychology
Psychology and neuropsychology share a common goal, which is to improve the quality of life of the clients or patients they treat.
Both are two disciplines that work with people who need to improve some aspect of their life, whether due to a psychological problem (in the case of clinical psychology) or due to acquired brain damage (if we talk about neuropsychology). But they also differ in several aspects. Let’s see which ones.
1. Differences in training
Currently, to be able to practice as a psychologist it is necessary to have the corresponding university training: a 4-year degree in psychology and a master’s degree that qualifies you, if you want to work in the field of health. To work in the public sphere, the only way is to access through the internal resident psychologist or PIR system, a period of 4 years of hospital residency through different training areas.
Regarding work as a neuropsychologist, in Spain this profession is not recognized as such; That is, in order to work in the field of neuropsychology, what is usually required in the private field is postgraduate training that certifies that you have the necessary knowledge to work in said field.
On the other hand, training in neuropsychology focuses more on higher cognitive processes and a more detailed study of the brain and its neuroanatomy, unlike what happens with psychology, in which priority is given to the study of more psychological processes. general.
2. Differences in evaluation
Another difference between psychology and neuropsychology lies in the way the patient is evaluated. A clinical psychologist evaluates the person’s history, intellectual abilities, academic abilities, and personality traits. However, this type of evaluation does not include tests to obtain data on the difficulties associated with different cognitive functions.
The neuropsychologist will focus on preserved and altered cognitive functions, and to do so he will carry out a comprehensive evaluation of memory, attention, language, executive functions, praxias and gnosias, among others. This type of evaluation is focused on later developing a comprehensive rehabilitation program that takes into account all the cognitive deficits observed.
Although neuropsychology also takes into account contextual factors when evaluating a person, it is true that general psychology covers more elements of this type, such as present and past personal experiences, traumatic events, the subjective effects of certain relationships, etc.
3. Differences in intervention
When it comes to intervening, the differences between psychology and neuropsychology are also evident. In the clinical setting, the psychologist will work with tools such as psychotherapy, a process that includes verbal and cognitive-behavioral techniques that help the patient understand and modify their way of thinking and perceiving their own difficulties.
In the field of neuropsychology, interventions usually focus on the use of cognitive rehabilitation techniques that involve: the restoration of altered functions through training; compensation or training of alternative skills; and the use of external aids (e.g. agendas and alarms for people with memory problems).
On the other hand, neuropsychologists usually specialize in neurodegenerative disorders and alterations resulting from brain damage (e.g. dementia, epilepsy, stroke, etc.), unlike psychologists, who are more focused on psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, phobias, relationship problems, addictions or sleep disorders, among others.
4. Differences in research
In the field of research there are also differences between psychology and neuropsychology. This second focuses more on discovering new information about the functioning of the brain and the different associated pathologies, with an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on other neuroscientific disciplines.
Research in psychology, for its part, addresses multiple fields that include the study of aspects such as human learning, thought processes, emotions, behavior or cognitive biases, to give just a few examples.
