(Psychology vs biology) The main debate for individuals concerned about health.

Psychology and biology are the disciplines that both study humans. Psychological studies are concerned with behaviour, but biological studies are concerned with all the creatures and the world. Thinkers and philosophers always try to study human behavior, thoughts, sentiments, and emotional patterns. Psychology focuses on mental health, and biology studies the body’s physical processes. Let’s see the proper definitions of both studies.

Biology

The scientific study of living organisms and their structures. Focuses on our physical health. It is more focused on other physical imbalances like cells, tissues, organs, neurotransmitters, physical growth, genetics, physical injuries, blood issues, the brain, and the nervous system.

Psychology.

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Focuses on the thoughts, emotions, personality, sentiments, learning processes, memory patterns, mental issues, and their treatments.

Mind and brain

Before studying the difference between psychology and Biology, it’s essential to know the differences between the brain and mind. The brain consists of matter, which is protected by our skull. The brain can be visible, its parts are touchable, like the left hemisphere, rthe ight hemisphere, cerebrum, cerebelum and brainstem. On the other hand, the mind is not touchable. We cannot see the mind with our eyes. The mind is the name of our thoughts, sentiments, and emotions, which cannot be tested even in a laboratory.

Psychology focuses more on the untouchable mind. On the other hand, Biology studies brain functionalities.

Emergence of the studies.

Emergence of Biology.

Biology is the study of living organisms, which emerged in the 19th century as a scientific discipline. But the main roots of the disciplinary comes from the ancient Greek philosophy, especially the classification of living organisms by Aristotle. He classified the living organisms into different groups based on physical appearances and body functionalities. Aristotle classified animals into two main groups: plants and animals. This concept leads to further research in Biology.

Later, many other philosophers, such as Theophrastus, Anaximander, Hippocrates, Francis Bacon, Albertus Magnus, Carl Linnaeus, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, and Charles Darwin, further contributed to Biological researches..

Emergence of Psychology.

Psychology emerged as a scientific discipline in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt (German philosopher and psychiatrist) established a psychological laboratory at the University of Leipzig. Like biology, psychology also has a deep root in Greek philosophy. Socrates used the introspection method for inner studies and self-realizations.  After Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle also contributed to mental processes. According to Plato, our thoughts and learning processes are innate processes, while Aristotle believed that we acquire thoughts, learning, and memories through our sensory experiences with the world.

After decades of Greek philosophy, a French philosopher Rene Descartes, proposed a theory known as the dualist theory. Mind and body are two distinct things, which work mutually to regulate our learning and emotional patterns. Mind and body are connected through the pineal gland.

John lock on the other hand, introduced the concept of “Tabula rasa,” which means blank sheet. Here, John Locke proposed that our mind is a blank slate at birth. We gradually gain knowledge through sensory organs. To John Lock we don’t have any innate learned qualities. This concept later led to various prominent theories, e.g., Behaviorism.

Modern Psychology.

Modern psychology is consisting on the ideas of psychoanalysis, which began in the 1890s. The pioneer of psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud, who is also known as the father of modern Psychology. Freud divided our mind into three levels: consciousness, preconsciousness, and unconsciousness. Most of our psychological problems lied into our unconscious mind.

Connection between psychology and biology

Our physical and mental health have differences, but they are interdependent. For better mental conditions, we need a healthy body. If neurotransmitters become disbalanced, they create depression and anxiety. For example, if we experience feelings of overwhelm, worry, or anxiety, our body produces adrenaline to cope with the situation. Sometimes, imbalanced numbers of neurotransmitters like serotonin, nor-epinephrine and dopamine can lead to negative thinking, low motivation, sadness, and anxious mood. Brain structures helping towards thoughts processes, learning, idea generation, and problem solving.

Similarly, our mental conditions affect our physical appearances. For example, a child with ADHD may injure his body. A depressive individual might hit someone. even though severe mental conditions lead to suicidal thoughts.

Differences between Psychology and Biology

Aspects	Biology	Psychology
Focus	Brain and body	Mind and behavior
Nature	Physical aspect of life	Mental aspects of life
Methods	Physical issues like accidents, body injuries, heart disease, cancer etc.	Therapies, observations
Core concept	Brain, hormones, genes	Thoughts, sentiments
Treatments	Mental issues like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, etc.	Physical issues like accidents, body injuries, heart disease, cancer, etc.

Balanced Approach between mental and psychological health.

As mentioned earlier, both mental and physical health affect each other in various ways. That’s why for a balanced life, we need to maintain balance between mental issues and physical health. Ignoring mental health conditions may lead to physical disturbances.

Conclusion

Psychology and biology study humans. Both disciplines share some similarities and differences as well. Biology explains our physical characteristics and classifications of living organisms. Apart from that, biologists treat the illnesses of the body, while psychiatrists treat Non-physical illnesses of the mind. These non-physical illnesses are also known as mental disorders (Depression, Anxiety, personality disorders, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, and psychotic disorders).  For a balanced life, we all need to take care of both our physical and mental health.