Health psychology
Assignment 1
Health psychology is a specialty area that focuses on how biology,
psychology, behaviour, and social factors influence health and illness. Health
psychology looks at how stress may impact one’s health and well-being and
explains why some individuals engage in unhealthy activities like smoking
and exercising. It is essential for encouraging behaviour change, boosting
health results and raising the standard of healthcare provision. Health
psychology plays a significant role in advancing more successful approaches
to sickness prevention and health promotion.
A state of mind, body, and spirit when a person is free from disease is called
health. In the same way, wellness is an active state that includes leading a
lifestyle that supports mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Overall
well-being depends on physical health, which is influenced by behaviour,
diet, exercise level, and way of life. The WHO constitution states that “Health
is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity.” They also state that “The extension to
all peoples of the benefits of medical, psychological and related knowledge is
essential to the fullest attainment of health.” This means that it is important
that all individuals, regardless of background or circumstances, have access
to medical, psychological and related knowledge. People must have access
to or benefit from this knowledge to attain the highest level of care possible.
, Model/ What is it?
definitions
Medical model It addresses mental illnesses as though they were physical
illnesses with specific signs or limitations in behaviour.
Medication is often used in their treatment and is more
dominant in Western medicine. In psychology, the medical
model is more widely used by psychiatrists than psychologists.
Biophysical The biopsychosocial model is a way of looking at mental and
model physical health through the perspective of many systems,
considering the roles that psychology, biology, and social
environment play. The study of these systems can result in
more effective treatment, as a biopsychosocial approach to
healthcare recognises that these systems overlap and interact
to impact each person's well-being and risk for sickness.
Holistic concept An approach to psychology known as holistic psychology
combines the mind, body, and spirit of the individual. This
depends on the idea that humans are whole organisms with
connections between our minds, bodies, emotions, and spirits
(e.g., jobs, social influences, and interpersonal relationships).
Health belief To explain and predict health behaviours, the Health Belief
Model is a psychological framework that focuses on people's
attitudes and beliefs. The idea is that people's health-related
behaviours are influenced by their perceptions of the attraction
of health conditions, their susceptibility to those issues, the
benefits of taking action to address those issues, and the costs
