This document provides an overview of the FOM 1213 course on the foundations of behavioural sciences at the Department of Psychiatry. The course covers concepts from psychology and sociology and their relevance to medicine, health, and healthcare. It aims to describe behavioral and social determinants of health, explain the importance of social dynamics in health, and demonstrate how theoretical concepts relate to clinical situations. Key topics include human behavior, development, cognition, learning, emotions, socialization, culture, social institutions, and their influence on health, illness, and healthcare systems. Clinical exposure sessions and lectures from stakeholders will complement the five-week course.

1. FOM 1213 : FOUNDATIONS OF
BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES
AN OVERVIEW LECTURE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY

2. Introduction
Components the course:
• Psychology
• Sociology
Objectives
• To describe basic concepts in Psychology and Sociology and
demonstrate how they relate to medicine, health, illness &
healthcare
• To describe the behavioral & social determinants of health
• To explain the importance of behavioral and social dynamics in
health
• To describe developmental and psychological processes
• To demonstrate ability to relate theoretical concepts to clinical
situations
• To demonstrate ability for community entry and mobilisation

3. Why ‘Foundations of behavioural sciences’?
Biomedical Psychological
Social

4. What is psychology concerned
with
• Science of behavior and mental processes
• Deals with behavior of individuals
• Behavior =activities that are observable and
measurable
• Mental processes which are activities of CNS:
Thinking, perceiving, remembering, learning,
emotion, etc.
Why study human behavior?
– To be able to describe it (knowledge)
– To predict it
– To control it
– To modify it
– To changeit

5. Why Psychology in Medicine
• Interdependence between mental and physical well being
• Behavioral events may promote physical illness
• Behavioral events may complicate physical illness
• Behavioral events undermine the implementation of
medical programs
• 50% of OPD patients have somatic symptoms without
organic pathology
• Compliance and adherence to therapy
• Motivation
• Medical practice is moving out of hospital
• Some Illnesses are chronic – managing chronicity
• Illnesses are preventable – health behaviors
• Illnesses are psychological – psychosomatic illnesses

6. Scope
Specific
• Know the principles that you will meet in the problems
• Be able to define and describe what happens
• Try and integrate into the bigger picture of your course
• Introspect in order to understand yourself and others
General
• Check for relationship between behavior, thoughts and
feelings
• The influence of feelings and thoughts to Autonomic
Nervous System
• Find how psychopathology is caused and know how to
treat it

7. Scope …..[ctnd]
• Psychological concepts, cognition, behavior and
relationships to medicine and healthcare
• Appreciation of normal child development and
the deviations from the normal [psychological
theories involved]
• Principles of perception and principles of
learning [psychological theories involved]
• Memory and Emotions [psychological theories
involved]
• Emotional relationships and emotional
attachment

8. Sociology
• Scientific study of human social life
• Levels:
– interpersonal level
– the group level
– the societal level
– social systems level

9. What is sociology concerned
with?
• social factors relevant to specific disorders and patient
care
• social processes that occur in medical setting,
• social factors underpinning health and disease, and
• the relationship between the health care system and
other social institutions
• Social behavior of health care providers and consumers
of health care services

10. Why sociology in
healthcare/medicine?
• Most illnesses can be described as problems of
living with multiple etiological factors
• Social Economic Status (SES)
• Culture
• Help to pursue holistic medicine
• The interplay of biological, social, cultural and
psychological factors determines
– whether one will fall sick,
– type of sickness,
– duration of sickness and
– the intensity of the symptoms

11. Why sociology?
• the interplay determines whether one will seek
help and the type help will be sought
• the relevance of peoples perspectives of illness in
help seeking behavior
• information of how social group/ communities
function which is crucial in:
– prevention programs,
– management of epidemics, and pandemics
– management of chronic illnesses

12. Scope
• Be able to describe the basic concepts in
sociology e.g. culture, socialization, etc.
• Describe the relevance of sociology to medicine
• Integrate the sociological concepts in clinical
situations you will meet
• Be able to describe socialization process and
agents of socialization
• Be able to explain how culture influence health
and illness
• be able to list and describe factors that may
influence help seeking behavior

13. Scope cont..,
• be able to describe the role of social institutions
such as family, religious, education, political and
economic in prevention/causation and treatment of
ill-health
• be able to describe the role of socio-economic
factors (education, income, occupation & housing),
gender, etc. in health and illness
• be able to describe nature and components of
health care systems
• Be able to list and describe alternative sources of
health care [medical pluralism]
• Be able to describe explanatory models in health
seeking behavior as well as the dynamics of
community entry and mobilization,

14. Things to note
• All problems for the course are integrated
• Clinical exposure sessions continue as indicated
on the curriculum map
• A visit to the community during the five weeks will
not be possible due to logistical intricacies – but
this will be compensated by your experiences
during COBES
• Some lectures from very vital stakeholders will be
organized within the five weeks.
• Information will be communicated to the class
leaders about these upcoming lectures

15. REFERENCES
• Thomas K. Richard (2003). Society & Health:
Sociology for health professionals. Kluwer
Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York
• Horton P. B. & Hunt (1984). Sociology
• Popenoe D. ‘Sociology’
• The encyclopedia of social sciences Vol. No.14
• Tony Bilton et al (1987): ‘Introductory Sociology’