Health Psychology for an Ailing Population
One of the newest and perhaps most important trends in contemporary psychology is health psychology. Health psychology is an emerging discipline concerned with promoting healthy living and the prevention of illness.
Researchers in health psychology attempt to understand how modern living patterns affect our health in three realms: 1) biological characteristics (genes); 2) behavioral factors (lifestyle choices, stress, and health beliefs); and 3) social influences (cultural forces, family relationships, and social support).
The history and evolution of health psychology is usually traced back to the 1960s and 1970s. It was during this time that the medical community recognized that chronic disease was being diagnosed in epidemic proportions in the larger culture. As a result, the medical and mental health professions began to explore how the psychosocial factors (emotions, social support, and mental stability) might relate to physical health and the dramatic rise in chronic illness.
It was also during this time that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a statement saying that “lifestyle choices” were believed to play a significant part in the ten leading causes of death. These lifestyle choices included what and how much people ate, whether they smoked or drank alcohol, how physically active they were, the amount of stress they experienced, etc. This formal statement put a major initiative in motion where funds were allocated for further research.
From this point, health psychology has been gaining momentum. It was officially acknowledged as a subdiscipline within the field of psychology in 1978 when the American Psychological Association formally created a division within their subspecialties for health psychology.
Today, many practitioners of holistic, functional, and alternative medicine incorporate principles of health psychology into their work, as well as a large number of mental health professionals. The body-mind connection is an important contribution of health psychology. This body-mind connection involves exploring the relationship between a person’s emotions and their behavior. For example, people who struggle with overeating might explore how emotions trigger an episode of binge eating.
With chronic disease affecting more than 50 percent of the American population, health psychology is poised to be a much sought-after way to improve the health of individuals and cut soaring medical costs in the coming years.
In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to explore more about health psychology and apply it to an actual health crisis that is ever-worsening: the obesity issue. You will then assess whether there are lifestyle changes you would like to make in your own life. The personal application of these principles may be the most important part of this assignment for you.
Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
· Explain how health psychology approaches issues related to intervention and prevention.
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Resources
· Video: A Brief History of Health Psychology
· Web Article: What Is Health Psychology?
· Web Article: OCLS Introduction to Research Guide
· Website: OCLS Article Databases
· Website: OCLS Evaluating Sources Page
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Background Information
Before beginning this writing assignment, watch the video “A Brief History of Health Psychology” and read the article “What Is Health Psychology?” to obtain the necessary foundation. It may be necessary to do additional research outside of these two resources to adequately address the assignment questions.
Here are the three biopsychosocial realms that researchers in health psychology study and attempt to understand as they relate to how modern living patterns affect our health: 1) biological characteristics (genes); 2) behavioral factors (lifestyle choices, stress, and health beliefs); and 3) social influences (cultural forces, family relationships, and social support).
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Instructions
1. Before beginning this assignment:
a. Watch the video “ A Brief History of Health Psychology .” (Closed captioning is provided.)
b. Read the article “ What Is Health Psychology? ”
2. In a two- to three-page paper, respond to the following:
a. Which of the three biopsychosocial realms mentioned do you think has the greatest influence and impact upon a person’s individual health? Explain your answer in detail.
b. Consider this issue that is important to health psychology right now: the American obesity problem. Research the health dangers associated with obesity that continue to accrue while the rates of obesity are on the rise. What, in your opinion, is the reason we seem unable, on a large scale, to apply the information we have to improve our collective health in regard to the obesity problem?
c. Is there an area of your life where you see a need for change to improve your health? State what that is and make one concrete goal to begin addressing it in the next week.
3. You should use some outside sources in this paper to support your points. Strive for at least two from reliable sources; include in-text citations and list them in a reference page at the end of your paper in correct APA format.
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