PSYC 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Absenteeism, Asthma, Migraine

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1010
• Professor: Rebecca Jubis

Document Summary

The biopsychosocial model holds that physical illness is caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological and sociocultural factors. Health psychology is concerned with how psychosocial factors relate to the promotion and maintenance of health and with the causation, prevention and treatment of illness. Stress is any circumstance that threaten or are perceived to threaten ones well-being and that thereby tax one"s coping abilities. The threat can be to: immediate physical safety, long-range security, self-esteem, reputation, peace of mind, or many other things that one values. A number of factors affect the nature of any individual"s reactions to stress. Ex: the type of stressor and its controllability, biological factors such as age and gender, and the individual"s previous experience with stress. Minor stresses such as everyday hassles may have significant harmful effects on mental and physical health. Because of the cumulative nature of stress, stress adds up and collectively cause a huge strain.