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Health Psychology

INSTRUCTIONS:

See attachment for questions that need answered and should be around 500 - 750 words. I started the first one but frankly don’t have the time to complete 4 essay questions.  Books used in class are “The Psychology of Health and Illness” by Jane Ogden, “Health Education” by Garrett Rieck and Justin Lundin and “Handbook of well-being” by E. Diener, S. Oishi and L. Tay.1. What exactly does “health” mean in a psychological context and what are some key factors that determine it? How does the biopsychosocial model help to further this understanding? As part of your response, provide some examples of how this model may help us to understand aspects of both psychological and sexual health.Health refers to more than just physical illness. People who feel health is purely physical would have a narrow perspective of health. In a broader perspective or health, and as defined by the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. So, health, as it is understood today, is a much broader topic. There are six dimensions of health: physical, social, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and environmental. Each of these plays a factor in our overall health and well-being. There are also five determinants that play a role in our health. Many may not think so, but government policymaking is a determinant of health. For example, increasing taxes on tobacco can cause people to reduce their intake, increasing their health status. Other determinants include social factors, quality health services and accessibility to those services, individual behavior and biology / genetics.The biopsychosocial model was developed as an attempt to integrate the psychological and the environmental into the traditional biomedical model of health. It is one of the key frameworks of health psychology and is used to help us understand the role of psychology at all stages of health and illness. According to the biopsychosocial model, the biomedical factors of health include genetics, viruses and bacteria. The psychological factors of health include emotions and behavior. The social factors of health include social norms of behavior, pressure to change behavior and social class. This model provides a better understanding as to how health goes beyond just physical illness.2. Describe and explain how we feel pain by considering how biological (including, but not limited to, the immune system), learning, emotional, cognitive and behavioral factors influence it. How does the gate control theory of pain add to our understanding?3. Examine what it means to experience stress according to health psychologists. How do we experience it and cope with it? How is it related to illness and note whether it can ever be helpful (and why). As part of your response, also consider developmental aspects of stress and the role of subjective well-being.4. Discuss four different gender-based health differences as discussed in the readings and videos. For each of these differences, consider whether biological, psychological, or social factors (or some combination) are most appropriate in understanding them.
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