The idea of psychology and the mental processes began in 387 BC and has continued to progress as a field of science. What is the history of psychology and testing? What are testing, assessment and diagnosis? How are the results of testing used and for what purpose? These are just a few of the tools of the trade a counseling profession uses in creating a treatment plan for their client. This paper explores these areas and delves into the Biblical aspects of testing and counseling as a whole.
History
The history of psychology dates back to Greece in 387 BC when Plato first theorized a link between the human brain and mental processes. In 1774 Frank Mesmer first proposed a new mental illness cure in the form of mesmerism or as it is now known, hypnosis. And in 1878 G. Stanley Hall received the very first doctoral degree in Psychology and went on to create the American Psychological Association in 1892 (History of Psychology, 2012). The APA is a well-known organization revered in the psychological community and sets forth a set of ethics codes that psychology professionals are bound by. In 1886 one of the most renowned therapists, Sigmund Freud, started counseling therapy in Vienna (History of Psychology, 2012). James Cattell first devised the idea of “mental tests” in 1890, this crucial step in the world of psychology created the specialization in psychology known as psychological assessments (History of Psychology, 2012). Throughout time there have been philosophers and researchers that have made the crucial link between the human brain and emotion or brain function. Without researchers and philosophers like Plato, Mesmer, Hall, Freud and Cattell the field of psychology would be virtually unknown.
Introduction
Professional counselors and psychologists use many tools to assist their clients in the healing process. Those tools include testing, assessment and diagnosis. It is these tools the professional uses to
References: Piotrowski, Nancy A. “Ðiagnosis.” Salem Health: Psychology & Mental Health. Vol. 2. 2010 Pp. 594 – 598. “History of Psychology (387 BC to Present). AllPsych Online. Available online at: http://allpsych.com/timeline.html. Accessed November 12, 2012. Fowler, James A. “Counseling.” Available online at: http://www.christinyou.net/pages/counseling.html. Accessed November 12, 2012. Gillman, Bill. “What is Christian Counseling?” Available online at: http://www.cftministry.org/counseling/what_is_christian_counseling.html. Accessed November 12, 2012.