Classics in the History of Psychology: New Phrenology (Reaction Paper Sample)

Student's Name Professor's Name Subject DD MM YYYY Classics in the History of Psychology: New Phrenology The quest to better understand the relationship between brain function and the resultant mental process has been an ongoing topic of discussion for quite an extended period. The history of Phrenology is highlighted by several landmarks in Franz’s article. There are two key talking points from the article written by Franz. Firstly, the argument of the brain as a body of mind. This point is key in the article as it is the founding principle in Phrenology. Anatomical and physiological observations of the brain indicated differences in the brain faculties suggesting different underlying functions and resultant mind processesCITATION Chr01 \p 1 \l 1033 (Green 1). The evidence of Gall's idea was backed up by the inability to make sense of the loss of certain intellectual faculties in some casesCITATION Chr01 \p 1 \l 1033 (Green 1). This evidence suggested the differentiation in functions of the various parts of the brain. Secondly, the concepts of Phrenology, while continuing to be acceptable, gave rise to the cerebral cortex localization. The idea of cortical localization further aligned the concept of phrenology while introducing the idea of the localized functions of different brain tissues in various concepts. The discoveries made by Fritsch and Hitzig on the motor sphere prompted the discussion on cerebral cortex localization. Different areas of the brain cortex differ in physiolog...