Health psychology examines how biological, social and psychological factors influence health and illness. Health psychologists use psychological science to promote health, prevent illness and improve health care systems.
Understanding Health Psychology
For years, we’ve known about the dangers of smoking, and that we should eat less and move more. But in the end, what motivates us to put down the doughnut and hit the running trail or carefully follow a doctor’s instructions about medications and follow-up visits?
Health psychology explores those motivations in the pursuit of getting people to embrace health promotion and illness prevention. This specialty area examines how biological, social and psychological factors influence the choices we make about our health.
Health psychologists study the factors that allow people to be healthy, recover from an illness or cope with a chronic condition. They are experts in the intersection of health and behavior and are in demand as a part of integrated health care delivery teams — working with other doctors to provide whole-person health care.
Health Psychology Applied
The path to wellness is complex, and health psychologists know this. That is why they consider all the factors in a person’s life to get at what’s really driving certain behaviors.
Ever heard of emotional eating? Or psychosomatic illnesses? Linking people’s emotions to their behavior and its consequences is a key component of their work.
Health psychologists apply their expertise in many settings, including private practices, hospitals and primary care programs, universities, corporations, government agencies and specialty practices, such as oncology, pain management, rehabilitation and smoking cessation.
Helping people make choices that have a positive impact on their health — and the well-being of their families, the workforce and their communities is at the heart of this dynamic field.
Health psychology focuses on how biological, social and psychological factors influence health and illness. Health psychologists study how patients
handle illness, why some people don’t follow medical advice and the most effective ways to control pain or change poor health habits. They also develop health care strategies that foster emotional and physical well-being.
Date created: 2014
Related
What is health psychology?
- Health psychology emphasizes psychology's role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness. They emphasize that lifestyle choices, behaviors, and psychological characteristics can play important roles in health.
- Similar to behavioral medicine
- 2 related fields: health promotion and public health
What is health promotion?
Involves helping people change their lifestyle to optimize health and assisting them in achieving balance in physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual health and wellness.
Public health is concerned with studying health and disease in large populations to guide policymakers.
- important goal is to ensure that all populations have access to cost-effective healthcare, health promotion services, and health promoting behaviors and resources.
What are health behaviors?
- practices that have an impact on physical well-being
What does the theory of reasoned action suggest that effective change requires?
- have specific intentions about their behaviors
- hold positive attitudes about a new behavior
- perceive that their social group looks favorably on the new behavior as well
What does the theory of planned behavior include?
- all the things in the theory of reasoned action and one more: the person's perceptions of control over the outcome
What is behavioral medicine?
An interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating medicine behavioral and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness.
What is the biopsychosocial model?
The biopsychosocial model applies to health psychology as well because health psychology integrates biological, psychological, and social factors in health.
What is the stages of change model?
The stages of change model describes the process by which individuals give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles.
What are the 5 stages of the change model?
- precontemplation
- contemplation
- preparation/determination
- action/willpower
- maintenance