Introduction

Question 1

Definition of Health (1948)

Answer 1

A complete state of physical, mental, and social
well-being and not merely the absence of
disease and infirmity.

Question 2

Biomedical Model

Answer 2

 Chemical imbalances, bacteria, viruses, genetic
predispositions.
 Syndromes expressed as signs or symptoms are
associated with lesions or underlying pathology.
 Vaccination, medication, surgery
 Pathology is focus of treatment and research
 Interventions made to eradicate lesion, or prevent its
pathogenesis

Question 3

Psychology History: Part 1

Answer 3

PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE:
 Developed on Freud’s look at the mind and illness – ‘hysterical paralysis’ – paralysed limbs with no physical cause… his take, repressed expressions and feelings manifested as a physical problem

BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH:
 Explicit focus on prevention and health maintenance

Question 4

Psychology History: Part 2

Answer 4

BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE:
 Schwartz & Weiss (1977), Polerleau & Brady (1979) – behavioual sciences focused on health care, treatment and illness prevention
 Behaviour therapy and modification, evaluation and treatment – focus on prevention was important and novel (departure from biomedical approach) – psychological issues are of interest when they contribute to development (or not) of illness
 Scientific, and challenged the separation of mind and body

Question 5

Classical Definition: Matarazzo, (1980)

Answer 5

The aggregate of the specific educational, scientific and professional contribution of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and treatment of illness, the identification of aetiologic and diagnostic correlates of health, illness and related dysfunction.

Question 6

Pragmatic Definition

Answer 6

Health psychology is the study of
psychological processes that influence health, illness and
health care.

Question 7

Biopsychosocial Model

Answer 7

PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENT:

Behaviour (adoption and maintenance)
Emotional (feelings)
Cognition (thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes)
Personality – characteristic ways of thinking, behaving,
and feeling

Question 8

Kaplan (1990)

Answer 8

• “Biologicalisation”
• Studies criticized if no examination of blood chemistry,
cholesterol, blood pressure, immune response, or use
of disease categories
• Equated by many as a more ‘scientific approach’
• Biological measures viewed as measures viewed as pure, more reliable, pure, more reliable, more valid
• Just because we can measure something, doesn’t
mean the measure is useful
• Reliability is about consistency of measure, validity is
about accuracy of measure
• reliability does not mean validity!

Question 9

Kaplan’s Model: Part 1

Answer 9

• Most models in health psych have a biological measure on rightmost end – Kaplan argues behavioural outcome is
fundamental, & of course can have effects to the left

• Not to say an intervention at level of tissues or organs not
valid – but interventions have importance because they
have effects on behavioural outcomes.

• He argues that the traditional approach leads to
focus on risk factors not outcomes.

Question 10

Kaplan’s model: Part 2

Answer 10

Two Outcomes of Importance:
• Life expectancy
• Quality of Life or functioning along the way
• Biological & physical events are mediators, & affect individuals very differently
• Concern over cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc might well in itself reduce life expectancy, or Quality of Life
• As we’ll see stress is bad, unquestionably

Question 11

Summary

Answer 11

• Even the biopsychosocial model focuses on sickness & its causes
• Psychological & environmental aetiology, physiological
lesions.
• Disease categories, lesion characteristics, risk factors
• Current climate demands focus on outcomes
measures by physicians
• Blood chemistry, physical characteristics etc
• As opposed to ‘behavioural’ ones – longevity, health-
related quality of life, symptomatic complaints, day-to-day