Chapter 16 Flashcards
health psychology
A subfield of psychology that emphasizes psychology’s role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness
behavioural medicine
An interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating behavioural and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness; overlaps with health psychology
health behaviours
Practices that have an impact on physical and psychological well-being, such as adopting a healthy approach to stress, exercising, eating right, brushing one’s teeth, performing breast and testicular exams, not smoking, drinking in moderation (or not at all), and practising safer sex.
Mind - Body connection
Mind influences body and body influences mind
Theoretical models of change: Reasoned action
theory of reasoned action: Theoretical model stating that effective change requires individuals to have specific intentions about their behaviours, as well as positive attitudes about a new behaviour, and to perceive that their social group looks favourably on the new behaviour as well.
Theoretical models of change: Planned behaviour
theory of planned behaviour: Theoretical model that includes the basic ideas of the theory of reasoned action but adds the person’s perceptions of control over the outcome.
Limitation of theoretical models of change
View our decision making about health choices to be a rational process but some decisions can be made based on strong emotional reactions
stages of change model
Theoretical model identifying five stages that lead to individuals giving up bad habits and adopting healthier lifestyles.
Describe the 5 stages of the stages of change model
Pre-contemplation: Individuals are not yet ready to think about changing and may not be aware that they have a problem that requires changing
ex: student engaging in binge drinking isn’t aware that they have a drinking problem
Contemplation: Individuals acknowledge that they have a problem but may not yet be ready to change
Ex: Someone that binge drinks recognizes that they have a drinking problem through poor grades etc but isn’t sure if they want to commit
Preparation/Determination: Individuals are preparing to take action
ex: Exploring alternative activities to replace binge drinking problem
Action/ Willpower: Individuals commit to making a behavioural change and enact a plan
Maintenance: Individuals are successful in continuing their behaviour change over time
Transcendence
Individuals are no longer consciously engaged in maintaining their healthy lifestyle
relapse
A return to former unhealthy patterns.
Components of theory of reasoned action
- Have specific intentions about their behaviours
- Hold positive attitudes about a new behaviour
- Believe that their social group also looks favourably on the new behaviour
Components of theory of planned behaviour
- Have specific intentions about their behaviours
- Hold positive attitudes about a new behaviour
- Believe that their social group also looks favourably on the new behaviour
- Person’s perception of their control over the outcome
implementation intentions
Specific strategies for dealing with the challenges of making a life change, involving identifying a behaviour that one wants to change and then developing an “if–then” strategy in which one creates a rule such as “If I am in a certain situation, then I will/will not do this specific behaviour.”
social support
Information and feedback from others indicating that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and included in a network of communication and mutual obligation.
4 main types of benefits of social support
Tangible assistance: Providing materials needs such as loaning money, a vehicle, food or a place to live
Emotional support: Providing warmth and nurturing through empathy and expression of concern
Informational support: Providing problem solving information or advice such as tips with parenting, job searching, finances, travel
Companionship/belonging: Providing a sense of belonging by sharing activities, connecting, spending time together
Self determination theory distinguishes between intrinsic motivation which is…. and extrinsic motivation which is….
Doing something because you want to do it, doing something for external rewards
Stress is our response to
Environmental stressors
distress
A term often used to describe the experience of negative stress.
eustress
A term used to describe the experience of positive stress.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Selye’s term for the common effects of stress on the body, consisting of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
Describe each of the 3 stages of GAS
Alarm – fight or flight reaction triggered by some stressor. Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system is activated and body is readied for extreme action to deal with situation.
Resistance – stress is prolonged and eventually the Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPA) system is activated in an effort to calm the body and relax the body’s taxed resources and systems
Exhaustion – if the stressor continues the body’s systems become overburdened and there is a weakening of immune and organ systems
The body system that plays the biggest role in GAS
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis): The complex set of interactions among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands that regulate various body processes and control reactions to stressful events.
psychoneuroimmunology
A field of scientific inquiry that explores connections among psychological factors (such as attitudes and emotions), the nervous system, and the immune system
2 types of coping
problem-focused coping: The coping strategy of squarely facing one’s troubles and trying to solve them
emotion-focused coping: The coping strategy that involves responding to the stress that one is feeling—trying to manage one’s emotional reaction—rather than focusing on the problem itself
post-traumatic growth
Positive psychological change and enhanced resilience in the face of adversity
stress management program
A regimen that teaches individuals how to appraise stressful events, how to develop skills for coping with stress, and how to put these skills into use in everyday life
exercise
Structured physical activities whose goal is to improve health
aerobic exercise
Sustained activity—jogging, swimming, or cycling, for example—that stimulates heart and lung functioning
alcohol use disorder
Alcohol addiction, a disease with both a genetic predisposition and a link to dysregulated neural circuits within the brain
