one Flashcards
Lay theories on health
Bauman (1961):
- a general sense of wellbeing (feeling)
- absence of symptoms of disease (syptom orientation)
- being able to do things a physically fit person is able to do (performance)
Models of health and illness
***
Mind-body relationships
- disease attributed to evil spirits, humoral theory etc.
Biomedical model
- underlying pathological cause to disease
Biopsychosocial model
- a combination of physical, cultural, psychological and social factors
Dualism
the idea that the mind and body are separate entities
Monoism
Viewing the mind and body as one unit
bidirectional relationship btw body and mind
Social representations of health
The Health and Lifestyles survey (Cox et al. 1993)
- health as not ill
- health as reserve
- health as behaviour
- health as physical fitness and vitality
- health as psychosocial well-being
- health as function
WHO definition of health
+ limitations
“….a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity….”
- does not address socio-economic / cultural influences
- omits the role of the “psyche” in the experience of health and illness
Different health belief systems
Holistic explanations (integrate mind, body and soul)
Spiritual explanations (e.g. hexes, god’s reward)
Collectivist vs individualistic
The UN predicts (2013)….
ageing population
those aged 65+ will double to 10% of the world population by 2025.
Implications of an ageing population on health and social care
Increased prevalence of chronic disease
Increased prevalence of disability and dependence
Methods of assessing subjective health status
- self-rated health (excellent - poor)
- Compared to prior health (much better - much worse)
- Compared to others (excellent - poor)
- Functioning/ activities
Aspects of positive psychology* (Seligman, 2012)
P-ositive emotions
E-ngagement/ flow (being consciously involved in our activities)
R-elationships
M-eaning
A-ccomplishment
*Study of happiness, well-being, and human growth instead of negative emotions and mental disorders
Cantril Self-Anchoring Scale
A 10 step ladder
top = best possible life
bottom = worst possible life
ladder-present = where you feel now
ladder future = where you think you will stand in 5 years
Ways to measure wellbeing
Cantril Self-Anchoring Scale
Global satisfaction with life
(rate 5 statements 1-7 based on how you agree)
Basic emotions (rated 1-5)
Circumplex models for daily affect
positive emotions are worth cultivating, not just as end states in themselves but also as a means to achieving psychological growth and improved well-being over time.
Broaden and build theory
Broaden and build function of positive emotions
Resilience: better coping with stressors Increased creativity Increased motivation and energy Success Maybe even physical health
Health psychology definition
“Health Psychology is the study of psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness and healthcare”
a behavioural practice thought to be health protective behaviours
e.g. exercise (health-protective behaviour)
behavioural immunogen
a behavioural practice thought to be damaging to health
e.g smoking (health-risk behaviour)
behavioural pathogen.
Alameda County Study identified seven key behaviours associated with health and longevity, they are:
getting regular exercise;
eating breakfast;
not eating between meals;
consuming no more than 1–2 alcoholic drinks per day;
being no more than 10% overweight (!!!! not a behaviour !!!);
sleeping 7–8 hours a night;
not smoking.
Intuitive theory
Knowledge* –> attitude* –> behaviour
*=determinants
DEBUNKED as knowledge is necessary but not sufficient
Social cognition models (e.g. theory of planned behaviour) say that the most important determinant of behaviour is…
Behavioural intention
The theory of planned behaviour
Attitude towards behaviour \+ Subjective norms \+ Perceived behavioural control* --> Intention --> *--> Behaviour
The theory of reasoned action
Fishbein & Ajzen (1975)
Attitude towards behaviour \+ Subjective norms --> Intention --> Behaviour
(Same as theory of planned behaviour but without perceived behavioural control feeding into both)
Attitudes towards performing a behaviour are determined by…
BEHAVIOURAL BELIEFS
- about the consequences of the behaviour
- evaluation of outcomes
“I think this is going to be good for me, so I should probably do it”
Subjective norm associated with a behaviour determined by:
NORMATIVE BELIEFS
- about how others would like you to behave
- positive/ negative judgements (motivation to comply)
“If everyone else is doing it, it will probably be a good idea for me to do it too”
Perceived behavioural control associated with a behaviour determined by:
CONTROL BELIEFS
- how much control they believe they have (perceived control)
- how confident they feel (self-efficacy)
“I haven’t got a clue how to do this, so I probably won’t bother trying”
Examples of social cognition models
Theory of planned behaviour
Health belief model
Protection motivation theory
Social cognition models assume…
a reasoned (reflective; deliberative) process involving the consideration of options and anticipated outcomes.
