Differences between Psychology and Neuropsychology

psychology is science which is in charge of studying and intervening in the cognitive, affective and behavioral processes of people.

It is a discipline that covers various fields and has many branches; one of them, the 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 are the main differences between one and the other.

Psychology: definition and characteristics

Psychology is a discipline that has many 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 treasures various "schools" or orientations, each of them with different methodologies, although they all have in common the objective of improving people's lives attended.

All in all, the cognitive-behavioral orientation 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. (the 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 structures in the brain. Through the neuropsychological evaluation, it is determined which cognitive functions are damaged and which are preserved in order to be able to make a neuropsychological intervention that includes the rehabilitation of damaged functions, with the aim of returning the person to social functioning normal.

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 lives, either for a psychological problem (in the case of clinical psychology) or 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, in order 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 enables you, in case you want to work in the field of health. To work in the public sphere, the only way is to access through the resident intern psychologist or P.I.R., a period of 4 years of hospital residence for different training areas.

Regarding work as a neuropsychologist, in Spain this profession is not recognized as such; that is, to be able to work in the field of neuropsychology what is usually required in the private sphere It is a postgraduate training that certifies that you have the necessary knowledge to work in said ambit.

On the other hand, training in neuropsychology focuses more on higher cognitive processes and on a more detailed study of the brain and its neuroanatomy, unlike what happens with psychology, in which the study of the most important psychological processes is prioritized. generals.

2. Differences in evaluation

Another difference between psychology and neuropsychology lies in the way in which the patient is evaluated.. A clinical psychologist evaluates a person's history, intellectual abilities, academics, and personality traits. However, this type of evaluation does not include tests to obtain data on the difficulties associated with the different cognitive functions.

The neuropsychologist will focus on the preserved and altered cognitive functions, and for this he will carry out a exhaustive 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 contextual factors into account when evaluating a person, it is true that general psychology encompasses 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 field, the psychologist will work with tools such as psychotherapy, a process that includes verbal techniques and cognitive-behavioral that help the patient to understand and modify his way of thinking and perceiving his own difficulties.

In the field of neuropsychology, interventions usually focus on the use of techniques of cognitive rehabilitation that imply: the restoration of the altered functions by training them; compensation or alternative skills training; and the use of external aid (p. eg calendars and alarms for people with memory problems).

On the other hand, neuropsychologists usually specialize in neurodegenerative disorders and alterations caused by brain damage (p. eg dementia, epilepsy, ictus, etc.), unlike what happens with psychologists, 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 disciplines neuroscientists.

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 name just a few examples.