Social Psychology of Health

Question 1

Biopsychosocial Model of Health

Answer 1

Health is the product of biological factors, psychological factors, and social factors.

Question 2

Biological Factors

Answer 2

Include things like genetic predispositions to disease and exposure to viruses.

Question 3

Psychological Factors

Answer 3

Include things like stress.

Question 4

Social Factors

Answer 4

Include things like the amount of social support received from family and friends.

Question 5

Areas of Health Psychology

Answer 5

Maintaining one’s health and understanding the causes of health and illness, preventing and treating disease and illness, and improving the healthcare system and policy.

Question 6

Health Behaviors

Answer 6

Actions we undertake to enhance or maintain our health. Some involve not doing harmful things (ex. smoking)

Question 7

Positive Health Behaviors

Answer 7

Sleeping 7-8 hours, not smoking, eating breakfast, no more than 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day, exercising regularly, not eating between meals, and being not more than 10% overweight.

Question 8

Persuasive Messages

Answer 8

The mass media may bring about gradual changes in attitudes over time through this, but is not successful in changing people’s health behaviors. Face-to-face instructions about modifying risk factors are most successful at changing behaviors.

Question 9

Stress

Answer 9

It is based on what you consider to be stressful. Reducing stress enhances health. Includes the stimulus/stressor/event + perception/appraisal of stressor + stress responses (emotional, physiological, behavioral, cognitive).

Question 10

Appraisal

Answer 10

The process by which we evaluate what is happening to us. What may be stressful to us may not be stressful to others.

Question 11

Coping

Answer 11

Any attempt to manage stress, whether it is positive or negative, successful or unsuccessful.

Question 12

Types of Coping

Answer 12

1. Problem-focused – trying to change stressful circumstance
2. Emotion-focused – changing emotional reaction to stressor

Question 13

Type A Personality/Coping Style

Answer 13

Characterized by hostility, a sense of time urgency, and competitiveness. Hostility is the dangerous component, as it is related to a greater risk of heart disease.

Question 14

Social Support

Answer 14

An external resource for coping known as an interpersonal exchange in which someone helps another person. May be a) emotional b) instrumental c) informational and/or d) appraisal

Question 15

Emotional Support

Answer 15

When we express liking, love, care, or empathy for another person.

Question 16

Instrumental Support

Answer 16

Providing people with goods or services. Examples include loaning money, giving someone a ride, or bringing food to someone.

Question 17

Informational Support

Answer 17

Giving someone information that may enable them to deal with a stressful situation.
Example includes telling your classmate of a resource to help them study

Question 18

Appraisal Support

Answer 18

When we evaluate someone positively.
Examples include “You’re good at ___”, “You made the right decision”…

Question 19

Symptom Detection

Answer 19

Influenced by attention, the situation, prior experience, our beliefs and expectations about the symptoms, and social comparison.

Question 20

Adherence to Medical Treatment

Answer 20

Influenced by how satisfied the patient is with their quality of care, if the patient understands the treatment, and how complex the treatment is.
check notes for more info

Question 21

Chronic Illness

Answer 21

A human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in its effects.

Question 22

Illness Cognitions

Answer 22

People’s beliefs about their illness or the attributions made about what caused it.