PSYC 314 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Chronic Condition, Biomedical Model, Allied Health Professions
Document Summary
Health psychology: devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill and how they respond when they do get ill. Health: a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Rather than defining health as the absence of illness, health is recognized to be an achievement involving balance among physical, mental, and social well being. Health psychologists: focus on health promotion and maintenance including issues as how to get kids to develop good health habits, promote regular exercise and how to design a media campaign to get people to improve their diets. They also study aspects of the prevention and treatment of illness (how to manage stress, adjusting to treatment). They also focus on the etiology and correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction. Finally health psychologists analyze and attempt to improve the health care system and the formulation of health policy.
