The document discusses the history and development of health psychology from ancient to modern times. It covers:
- Ancient beliefs that illness was caused by demons or punishment
- Hippocrates introduced the idea that disease has natural causes
- The germ theory established microorganisms as the cause of many diseases
- The biopsychosocial model recognizes biological, psychological, and social influences on health
- Health psychology applies psychological principles to health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment.
CHAPTER CONTENTSCultural Differences in the Definition of Health.docxchristinemaritza
CHAPTER CONTENTS
Cultural Differences in the Definition of Health
Comparison Across Cultures
Comparison Within Cultures
Three Indicators of Health World Wide
Life Expectancy
Infant Mortality
Subjective Well-Being
Genetic Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Psychosocial Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Social Isolation and Mortality
Sociocultural Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Cultural Dimensions and Diseases
Cultural Discrepancies and Physical Health
Culture, Body Shape, and Eating Disorders
Culture and Obesity
Culture and Suicide
Acculturation and the Immigrant Paradox
Summary
Differences in Health Care and Medical Delivery Systems
A Model of Cultural Influences on Physical Health: Putting It All Together
Exploration and Discovery
Why Does This Matter to Me?
Suggestions for Further Exploration
Glossary
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people we touch. Whether through research, service, or provision of primary or secondary health care, we look forward to the day when we can adequately prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, and foster positive states of being in balance with others and the environment. This is not an easy task; a multitude of forces influences our health and the development of diseases.
As we strive to meet this challenge, the important role of culture in contributing to the maintenance of health and the etiology and treatment of disease has become increasingly clear. Although our goals of maintaining health and preventing and treating diseases may be the same across cultures, cultures vary in their perceptions of illness and their definitions of what is considered healthy and what is considered a disease. From anthropological and sociological perspectives, disease refers to a “malfunctioning or maladaptation of biologic and psychophysiologic processes in the individual” and illness refers to the “personal, interpersonal, and cultural reactions to disease or discomfort” (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 2006; p. 141). Thus, how we view health, disease, and illness, is strongly shaped by culture.
This chapter explores how cultural factors sway physical health and disease processes, and investigates our attempts to treat both psychological and sociological influences. We begin with an examination of cultural differences in the definition of health and present three indicators of health worldwide: life expectancy, infant mortality, and subjective well-being. We will then review the considerable amount of research concerning the relationship between culture and heart disease, other physical disease processes, eating disorders, obesity, and suicide. Next, we will explore differences in health care systems across countries. Finally, we will summarize the research in the form of a model of cultural influences on health.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE DEFINITION OF HEALTH
Comparison Across Cultures
Before we look at how culture influences health and disease processes, we need to examine ex ...
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people.docxcherishwinsland
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people we touch. Whether through research, service, or provision of primary or secondary health care, we look forward to the day when we can adequately prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, and foster positive states of being in balance with others and the environment. This is not an easy task; a multitude of forces influences our health and the development of diseases.
As we strive to meet this challenge, the important role of culture in contributing to the maintenance of health and the etiology and treatment of disease has become increasingly clear. Although our goals of maintaining health and preventing and treating diseases may be the same across cultures, cultures vary in their perceptions of illness and their definitions of what is considered healthy and what is considered a disease. From anthropological and sociological perspectives, disease refers to a “malfunctioning or maladaptation of biologic and psychophysiologic processes in the individual” and illness refers to the “personal, interpersonal, and cultural reactions to disease or discomfort” (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 2006; p. 141). Thus, how we view health, disease, and illness, is strongly shaped by culture.
This chapter explores how cultural factors sway physical health and disease processes, and investigates our attempts to treat both psychological and sociological influences. We begin with an examination of cultural differences in the definition of health and present three indicators of health worldwide: life expectancy, infant mortality, and subjective well-being. We will then review the considerable amount of research concerning the relationship between culture and heart disease, other physical disease processes, eating disorders, obesity, and suicide. Next, we will explore differences in health care systems across countries. Finally, we will summarize the research in the form of a model of cultural influences on health.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE DEFINITION OF HEALTH
Comparison Across Cultures
Before we look at how culture influences health and disease processes, we need to examine exactly what we mean by health. More than 60 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a definition at the International Health Conference, at which 61 countries were represented. They defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The WHO definition goes on further to say that “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being, without distinction of race, religion, political beliefs or economic and social conditions” (World Health Organization, 1948). This definition of health is still used by the WHO today.
In the United States, our views of health have been heavily influenced by what many call the biomedical model of health and disease (Kleinman et al., 2006). Trad.
This week we will begin by reviewing the course content and evaluation procedures. The opening remarks will include an examination of the biomedical and social models of health.
CHAPTER CONTENTSCultural Differences in the Definition of Health.docxchristinemaritza
CHAPTER CONTENTS
Cultural Differences in the Definition of Health
Comparison Across Cultures
Comparison Within Cultures
Three Indicators of Health World Wide
Life Expectancy
Infant Mortality
Subjective Well-Being
Genetic Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Psychosocial Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Social Isolation and Mortality
Sociocultural Influences on Physical Health and Disease
Cultural Dimensions and Diseases
Cultural Discrepancies and Physical Health
Culture, Body Shape, and Eating Disorders
Culture and Obesity
Culture and Suicide
Acculturation and the Immigrant Paradox
Summary
Differences in Health Care and Medical Delivery Systems
A Model of Cultural Influences on Physical Health: Putting It All Together
Exploration and Discovery
Why Does This Matter to Me?
Suggestions for Further Exploration
Glossary
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people we touch. Whether through research, service, or provision of primary or secondary health care, we look forward to the day when we can adequately prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, and foster positive states of being in balance with others and the environment. This is not an easy task; a multitude of forces influences our health and the development of diseases.
As we strive to meet this challenge, the important role of culture in contributing to the maintenance of health and the etiology and treatment of disease has become increasingly clear. Although our goals of maintaining health and preventing and treating diseases may be the same across cultures, cultures vary in their perceptions of illness and their definitions of what is considered healthy and what is considered a disease. From anthropological and sociological perspectives, disease refers to a “malfunctioning or maladaptation of biologic and psychophysiologic processes in the individual” and illness refers to the “personal, interpersonal, and cultural reactions to disease or discomfort” (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 2006; p. 141). Thus, how we view health, disease, and illness, is strongly shaped by culture.
This chapter explores how cultural factors sway physical health and disease processes, and investigates our attempts to treat both psychological and sociological influences. We begin with an examination of cultural differences in the definition of health and present three indicators of health worldwide: life expectancy, infant mortality, and subjective well-being. We will then review the considerable amount of research concerning the relationship between culture and heart disease, other physical disease processes, eating disorders, obesity, and suicide. Next, we will explore differences in health care systems across countries. Finally, we will summarize the research in the form of a model of cultural influences on health.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE DEFINITION OF HEALTH
Comparison Across Cultures
Before we look at how culture influences health and disease processes, we need to examine ex ...
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people.docxcherishwinsland
One major role of psychology is to improve the lives of the people we touch. Whether through research, service, or provision of primary or secondary health care, we look forward to the day when we can adequately prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, and foster positive states of being in balance with others and the environment. This is not an easy task; a multitude of forces influences our health and the development of diseases.
As we strive to meet this challenge, the important role of culture in contributing to the maintenance of health and the etiology and treatment of disease has become increasingly clear. Although our goals of maintaining health and preventing and treating diseases may be the same across cultures, cultures vary in their perceptions of illness and their definitions of what is considered healthy and what is considered a disease. From anthropological and sociological perspectives, disease refers to a “malfunctioning or maladaptation of biologic and psychophysiologic processes in the individual” and illness refers to the “personal, interpersonal, and cultural reactions to disease or discomfort” (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 2006; p. 141). Thus, how we view health, disease, and illness, is strongly shaped by culture.
This chapter explores how cultural factors sway physical health and disease processes, and investigates our attempts to treat both psychological and sociological influences. We begin with an examination of cultural differences in the definition of health and present three indicators of health worldwide: life expectancy, infant mortality, and subjective well-being. We will then review the considerable amount of research concerning the relationship between culture and heart disease, other physical disease processes, eating disorders, obesity, and suicide. Next, we will explore differences in health care systems across countries. Finally, we will summarize the research in the form of a model of cultural influences on health.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE DEFINITION OF HEALTH
Comparison Across Cultures
Before we look at how culture influences health and disease processes, we need to examine exactly what we mean by health. More than 60 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a definition at the International Health Conference, at which 61 countries were represented. They defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The WHO definition goes on further to say that “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being, without distinction of race, religion, political beliefs or economic and social conditions” (World Health Organization, 1948). This definition of health is still used by the WHO today.
In the United States, our views of health have been heavily influenced by what many call the biomedical model of health and disease (Kleinman et al., 2006). Trad.
This week we will begin by reviewing the course content and evaluation procedures. The opening remarks will include an examination of the biomedical and social models of health.
The Interface of Loneliness, Hospitalization and Illness | Crimson PublishersCrimsonpublishersPPrs
This article reviews the experience of loneliness and how it is influenced, and influences, the ill person and the hospitalized individual. Social ties enhance the immune system and help individuals cope with stress and illness. Loneliness has physical, emotional, and cognitive negative effects. Loneliness, which can involve both excruciating physical and mental suffering, is an ancient nemesis. Loneliness is implicated in numerous somatic, psychosomatic, and psychiatric diseases [1]. It is a mundane yet arcane human affliction that is often hazardous to health and hostile to happiness [2]. In this article, I review the experience of loneliness as it affects us when we are not doing well, such as when we are ill or hospitalized.
WHO definition: The world Health Organization (WHO) described health in1948, ...hosamELMANNA
this presentation cover the following items
Define health
Describe the different concepts and perspectives
of Health.
Describe determinants of health.
Define globalization & list its advantages and
disadvantages on health population.
Describe the different models of disease
causation theories
What is Health?
Acc. to WHO 1948, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
What is Disease?
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury.
What is “Germ theory of Disease”?
The germ theory states that many diseases are caused by the growth and reproduction of specific microorganisms within a host body.
Concept of health and disease (concept and definition of health,well being, illness,sickness and disease; philosophy of health; concept and definition of disease; changing concepts of health; dimensions of health; spectrum of health; iceberg phenomenon of disease; responsibility for health: Individual, community, state and international) Concept of causation (germ theory of disease; epidemiological triad; multi-factorial
causation; web of causation; natural history of disease: pre-pathogenesis and pathogenesis phase)Determinants of health
Prevention, its levels in line with phases of disease concurrent to natural history Concept of modes of intervention in different levels of prevention Burden of disease (concept of burden of disease; measurements used in burden of disease: DALY, QALY, YLL, YLD) Indicators of Health (Concept and characteristics of health indicator; Different types of
mortality and morbidity indicators: mortality Indicators-crude death rate; age-specific death rate; infant mortality rate; maternal mortality rate and ratio; Morbidity indicators:
Medicalization of SocietyThe social construction of .docxbuffydtesurina
Medicalization of Society
The social construction of medical knowledge
*
Medicalization of SocietyDescribes a process whereby previously non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in terms of illness, disorders, and conditions. Some suggest that the growth of medical jurisdiction is one of the most significant transformations of the last half of the 20th century.
*
DefinitionThe term refers to the process by which certain events or characteristics of everyday life become medical issues, and thus come within the purview of doctors and other health professionals to engage with, study, and treat. The process of medicalization typically involves changes in social attitudes and terminology, and usually accompanies (or is driven by) the availability of treatments.
*
The prevalence of medicalization
Indicators:
percentage of gross national income increased from 4.5% in 1950 to 16% in 2006
# of physicians per population has doubled in that time frame, extending medical capacity
Jurisdiction of medicine has grown to encompass new problems not previously deemed ‘medical’
Examples: ADHD, eating disorders, CFS,PTSD, panic disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, PMS, SIDS, obesity, alcoholism
*
Medicalization concerns itself with deviance and ‘normal life events’.Behaviors once defined as immoral, sinful, or criminal have been given medical meaning moving them from badness to sickness.Common life processes have been medicalized: including aging, anxiety and mood, menstruation, birth control, fertility, childbirth, menopause, and death.
*
Increasing MedicalizationNew categories of disease and drug therapies.Expanding/contracting medical categories.Elastic categories: Alzheimer Disease (AD) and the removal of age criteria led to AD encompassing senile dementia sufferers, sharply increasing the number of AD cases (now a top 5 cause of death in the US).Demedicalization whereby a problem is no longer defined as medical problem worthy of medical intervention (e.g. masturbation, homosexuality). Unsuccessful attempts include childbirth. Partial success includes disability.
*
Beyond Sociology…Numerous articles on medicalization in Medline search.British Medical Journal (2002) special issue on medicalization.PLoS Medicine (2006) devoted to ‘disease mongering’.President’s council on Bioethics dedicated session (2003).Seattle Times (2005) Suddenly Sick series.
*
Medicalization has gained attention beyond the social sciences.
Increased medicalizationNew epidemic of medical problems? Or,Is medicine better able to understand and identify and treat existing problems? Or, Are life’s problems increasingly defined as medical problems despite dubious evidence of their medical nature?
*
We’re not interested ncessarily in whether conditions are really medical or not, rather, we’re going to think of medical knowledge and the conditions which come to be understood as medical - as .
The Interface of Loneliness, Hospitalization and Illness | Crimson PublishersCrimsonpublishersPPrs
This article reviews the experience of loneliness and how it is influenced, and influences, the ill person and the hospitalized individual. Social ties enhance the immune system and help individuals cope with stress and illness. Loneliness has physical, emotional, and cognitive negative effects. Loneliness, which can involve both excruciating physical and mental suffering, is an ancient nemesis. Loneliness is implicated in numerous somatic, psychosomatic, and psychiatric diseases [1]. It is a mundane yet arcane human affliction that is often hazardous to health and hostile to happiness [2]. In this article, I review the experience of loneliness as it affects us when we are not doing well, such as when we are ill or hospitalized.
WHO definition: The world Health Organization (WHO) described health in1948, ...hosamELMANNA
this presentation cover the following items
Define health
Describe the different concepts and perspectives
of Health.
Describe determinants of health.
Define globalization & list its advantages and
disadvantages on health population.
Describe the different models of disease
causation theories
What is Health?
Acc. to WHO 1948, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
What is Disease?
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury.
What is “Germ theory of Disease”?
The germ theory states that many diseases are caused by the growth and reproduction of specific microorganisms within a host body.
Concept of health and disease (concept and definition of health,well being, illness,sickness and disease; philosophy of health; concept and definition of disease; changing concepts of health; dimensions of health; spectrum of health; iceberg phenomenon of disease; responsibility for health: Individual, community, state and international) Concept of causation (germ theory of disease; epidemiological triad; multi-factorial
causation; web of causation; natural history of disease: pre-pathogenesis and pathogenesis phase)Determinants of health
Prevention, its levels in line with phases of disease concurrent to natural history Concept of modes of intervention in different levels of prevention Burden of disease (concept of burden of disease; measurements used in burden of disease: DALY, QALY, YLL, YLD) Indicators of Health (Concept and characteristics of health indicator; Different types of
mortality and morbidity indicators: mortality Indicators-crude death rate; age-specific death rate; infant mortality rate; maternal mortality rate and ratio; Morbidity indicators:
Medicalization of SocietyThe social construction of .docxbuffydtesurina
Medicalization of Society
The social construction of medical knowledge
*
Medicalization of SocietyDescribes a process whereby previously non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in terms of illness, disorders, and conditions. Some suggest that the growth of medical jurisdiction is one of the most significant transformations of the last half of the 20th century.
*
DefinitionThe term refers to the process by which certain events or characteristics of everyday life become medical issues, and thus come within the purview of doctors and other health professionals to engage with, study, and treat. The process of medicalization typically involves changes in social attitudes and terminology, and usually accompanies (or is driven by) the availability of treatments.
*
The prevalence of medicalization
Indicators:
percentage of gross national income increased from 4.5% in 1950 to 16% in 2006
# of physicians per population has doubled in that time frame, extending medical capacity
Jurisdiction of medicine has grown to encompass new problems not previously deemed ‘medical’
Examples: ADHD, eating disorders, CFS,PTSD, panic disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, PMS, SIDS, obesity, alcoholism
*
Medicalization concerns itself with deviance and ‘normal life events’.Behaviors once defined as immoral, sinful, or criminal have been given medical meaning moving them from badness to sickness.Common life processes have been medicalized: including aging, anxiety and mood, menstruation, birth control, fertility, childbirth, menopause, and death.
*
Increasing MedicalizationNew categories of disease and drug therapies.Expanding/contracting medical categories.Elastic categories: Alzheimer Disease (AD) and the removal of age criteria led to AD encompassing senile dementia sufferers, sharply increasing the number of AD cases (now a top 5 cause of death in the US).Demedicalization whereby a problem is no longer defined as medical problem worthy of medical intervention (e.g. masturbation, homosexuality). Unsuccessful attempts include childbirth. Partial success includes disability.
*
Beyond Sociology…Numerous articles on medicalization in Medline search.British Medical Journal (2002) special issue on medicalization.PLoS Medicine (2006) devoted to ‘disease mongering’.President’s council on Bioethics dedicated session (2003).Seattle Times (2005) Suddenly Sick series.
*
Medicalization has gained attention beyond the social sciences.
Increased medicalizationNew epidemic of medical problems? Or,Is medicine better able to understand and identify and treat existing problems? Or, Are life’s problems increasingly defined as medical problems despite dubious evidence of their medical nature?
*
We’re not interested ncessarily in whether conditions are really medical or not, rather, we’re going to think of medical knowledge and the conditions which come to be understood as medical - as .
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
This is a presentation by Dada Robert in a Your Skill Boost masterclass organised by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan (EFSS) on Saturday, the 25th and Sunday, the 26th of May 2024.
He discussed the concept of quality improvement, emphasizing its applicability to various aspects of life, including personal, project, and program improvements. He defined quality as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to achieve the best possible results and discussed the concept of the "gap" between what we know and what we do, and how this gap represents the areas we need to improve. He explained the scientific approach to quality improvement, which involves systematic performance analysis, testing and learning, and implementing change ideas. He also highlighted the importance of client focus and a team approach to quality improvement.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
The Art Pastor's Guide to Sabbath | Steve ThomasonSteve Thomason
What is the purpose of the Sabbath Law in the Torah. It is interesting to compare how the context of the law shifts from Exodus to Deuteronomy. Who gets to rest, and why?
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
The Indian economy is classified into different sectors to simplify the analysis and understanding of economic activities. For Class 10, it's essential to grasp the sectors of the Indian economy, understand their characteristics, and recognize their importance. This guide will provide detailed notes on the Sectors of the Indian Economy Class 10, using specific long-tail keywords to enhance comprehension.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Cambridge International AS A Level Biology Coursebook - EBook (MaryFosbery J...
Lecture 1-Intro to health psychology.pptx
1.
2. The word health comes to us from an old German
word that is represented, in English, by the words hale
and whole, both of which refer to a state of “soundness
of body.
Health involves physical as well as psychological
and social well-being.
3. Health Psychology: The application of psychological
principles and research to the enhancement of health
and the prevention and treatment of illness.
4. Its concerns include social conditions such as:
the availability of health care and support from family
and friends),
biological factors (such as family longevity and
inherited vulnerabilities to certain diseases),
and even personality traits (such as optimism).
5. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA) : A new federal law was signed in March 23,
2010, by President Barack Obama that was aimed at
reducing the number of people in the United States
who do not have health insurance, as well as lowering
the costs of health care.
6. Health and Illness: Lessons from
the Past
At one time, people thought that disease was caused
by demons.
At another, they saw it as a form of punishment for
moral weakness.
Today, we wrestle with very different questions, such
as, “Can disease be caused by an unhealthy
personality?”
Case study of Mariana (from book)
7. Ancient Views
Prehistoric Medicine
When a person became sick, there was no obvious
physical reason for it. Rather, the stricken individual’s
condition was misattributed to weakness in the face of
a stronger force, bewitchment, or possession by an evil
spirit (Amundsen, 1996).
8. Trephination: An ancient medical intervention in
which a hole was drilled into the human skull,
presumably to allow “evil spirits” to escape.
9. Greek and Roman Medicine
The most dramatic advances in public health and
sanitation were made in Greece and Rome during the
sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E.
The first aqueduct brought pure water into Rome as
early as 312 B.C.E., and cleaning of public roads.
10. Hippocrates, who is often called the “father of modern
medicine,” was the first to argue that disease is a
natural phenomenon and that the causes of disease
(and therefore their treatment and prevention) are
knowable and worthy of serious study.
Hippocrates proposed the first rational explanation of
why people get sick.
11. According to his humoral theory, a healthy body and
mind resulted from equilibrium among four bodily
fluids called humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile,
and phlegm.
To maintain a proper balance, a person had to follow a
healthy lifestyle that included exercise, sufficient rest,
a good diet, and the avoidance of excesses.
12. Non-Western Medicine
Emerging, different traditions of healing were
developing in other cultures.
Chinese developed an integrated system of healing,
which we know today as traditional Oriental medicine
(TOM).
13. TOM is founded on the principle that internal
harmony is essential for good health.
Fundamental to this harmony is the concept of qi
(sometimes spelled chi), a vital energy or life force that
flows with changes in each person’s mental, physical,
and emotional well-being.
14. Discoveries of the Nineteenth
Century
Cellular theory: Formulated in the nineteenth
century, the theory that disease is the result of
abnormalities in body cells.
Germ theory : The theory that disease is caused by
viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms that
invade body cells.
15. Pasteur’s discoveries helped shape the germ theory of
disease—the idea that bacteria, viruses, and other
microorganisms that invade body cells cause them to
malfunction.
The germ theory, which is basically a refinement of
the cellular theory, forms the theoretical foundation of
modern medicine.
16. Twentieth-Century Trends That
Shaped Health Psychology
See Table 1.3.
It looked more and more to physiology and anatomy,
rather than to the study of thoughts and emotions.
Biomedical Model: The dominant view of twentieth-
century medicine that maintains that illness always
has a physical cause.
17. The biomedical model has three distinguishing
features:
First, it assumes that disease is the result of a
pathogen—A virus, bacterium, or some other
microorganism that causes a particular disease.
Second, the biomedical model is based on the
Cartesian doctrine of mind–body dualism; the
philosophical viewpoint that mind and body are
separate entities that do not interact.
Finally, according to the biomedical model, health is
nothing more than the absence of disease.
18. Biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces act
together to determine an individual’s health and
vulnerability to disease.
See Fig 1.2
19. The Biological Context
Every thought, mood, and urge is a biological event
made possible because of the characteristic anatomical
structure and biological function of a person’s body.
Genetic makeup and our nervous, immune, and
endocrine systems (see Chapter 3).
Genes provide a guideline for our biology and
predispose our behaviors— healthy and unhealthy,
normal and abnormal.
20. For example, the tendency to abuse alcohol has long
been known to run in some families (see Chapter 9).
Some people may inherit a greater sensitivity to
alcohol’s physical effects; such people may be more
likely to drink, especially in certain psychological and
social contexts.
Genomics The study of the structure, function, and
mapping of the genetic material of organisms.
21. It is true that genes influence all traits, both
psychological and physical.
But even identical twins, who share identical genes, do
not have identical traits.
Biology and behavior constantly interact.
For example, some individuals are more vulnerable to
stress-related illnesses because they angrily react to
daily hassles and other environmental “triggers” (see
Chapter 4).
22. Epigenetic The effects of environmental forces on how
genes are expressed.
For example DNA methylation,
A biochemical process that occurs in cells and is essential
to the healthy functioning of nearly every body system.
Occurring billions of time each second,
Methylation helps regulate the expression of genes that
repair DNA and promote healthy blood vessels.
A breakdown in methylation may promote the
development of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease,
and even accelerate aging.
23. Life-course perspective Theoretical perspective that
focuses on age-related aspects of health and illness.
For example, how a pregnant woman’s malnutrition,
smoking, or use of psychoactive drugs would affect her
child’s lifelong development.
Her child might be born early and suffer from low
birth weight.
Consequences include smaller brain volume; slowed
motor, social, and language development;; heart
disease and diabetes; long-term learning difficulties;
and even death .
24. The Psychological Context
Health and illness are subject to psychological
influences.
See Fig 1.3.
A key factor in how well a person copes with a stressful
life experience is how the event is appraised or
interpreted i.e, overwhelming, pervasive, and beyond
our control.
Whether a stressful event is actually experienced or
merely imagined?
25. Subjective well-being The cognitive and emotional
evaluations of a person’s life.
Our feelings of happiness and sense of satisfaction
with life (see Table 1.4).
Psychological interventions can help patients learn to
manage their tension, thereby lessening negative
reactions to treatment.
Patients who are more relaxed are usually better able,
and more motivated, to follow their doctors’
instructions.
26. Psychological interventions can also assist patients in
managing the everyday stresses of life, which seem to
exert a cumulative effect on the immune system.
Negative life events such as bereavement, divorce, job
loss, or relocation have been linked to decreased
immune functioning and increased susceptibility to
illness.
By teaching patients more effective ways of managing
unavoidable stress, health psychologists may help
patients’ immune systems combat disease.
27. The Social Context
Health behavior in its social context, health
psychologists consider the ways in which we think
about, influence, and relate to one another and to our
environments.
Your gender, for example, entails a particular, socially
prescribed role that represents your sense of being a
woman or a man.
In addition, you are a member of a particular family,
community, and nation; you also have a certain racial,
cultural, and ethnic identity, and you live within a
specific socioeconomic class.
28. Social context in which a chronic disease such as
cancer occurs.
A spouse, significant other, or close friend provides an
important source of social support for many cancer
patients.
Women and men who feel socially connected to a
network of caring friends are less likely to die of all
types of cancer than their socially isolated
counterparts (see Chapter 11).
29. Sociocultural Perspective considers how social and
cultural factors contribute to health and disease.
Culture refers to the enduring behaviors, values, and
customs that a group of people have developed over
the years and transmitted from one generation to the
next.
Minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care
than whites do, even when insurance status, income,
age, and severity of conditions are comparable.
30. Sociocultural forces also play an important role in the
variation in health related beliefs and behaviors.
For example, traditional Native American health care
practices are holistic and do not distinguish separate
models for mental and physical illnesses.
As another example, Christian Scientists traditionally
reject the use of medicine in their belief that sick
people can be cured only through prayer.
31. Gender Perspective in health psychology focuses on
the study of gender-specific health behaviors,
problems, and barriers to health care.
With the exceptions of reproductive-system problems
and undernourishment, men are more vulnerable than
women to nearly every other health problem.
The idea that masculinity is bad for men’s health is a
strong theme in health psychology.
32. Compared to women, men are more likely to:
o make unhealthy food choices,
o be overweight,
o exceed guidelines for alcohol consumption and engage
in binge drinking,
o ignore illness symptoms and avoid seeing doctors,
o engage in risky competitive sports where there is a
higher rate of injury, and
o be at greater risk for nearly all the major diseases that
affect both sexes
33. Applying the Biopsychosocial
Model
Consider the example of alcohol abuse, which is a
maladaptive drinking pattern. (Fig 1.6)
Alcohol abuse is best understood as occurring in three
contexts:
o biological,
o psychological, and
o social
34. Research studies of families, identical and fraternal
twins, and adopted children clearly demonstrate that
people (especially men) who have a biological relative
who was alcohol dependent are significantly more
likely to abuse alcohol themselves.
In fact, for males, alcoholism in a first-degree relative
is the single best predictor of alcoholism.
35. On the psychological side, specific personality traits
and behaviors that are linked with alcohol dependence
and abuse.
One such trait is poor self-regulation, characterized by
an inability to exercise control over drinking.
Another is negative emotionality, marked by
irritability and agitation.
36. On the social side, alcohol abuse sometimes stems
from a history of drinking to cope with life events or
overwhelming social demands.
Peer pressure, difficult home and work environments,
and tension reduction also may contribute to problem
drinking.
In many college students know, certain social contexts
promote heavy drinking.