BPS - Week 1 Cue Cards - Biomedical vs. Biopsychosocial Approaches & Common‐Sense Model – Week 1

Vocabulary flashcards summarising key terms and definitions from Week 1 lecture on Biomedical vs. Biopsychosocial approaches and the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation.

Disease

Biologically defined malfunction in cells, organs, or systems that can exist without subjective awareness.

Illness

The lived, subjective experience of ill health that may occur with or without measurable disease.

Biomedical Approach

Traditional Western model focused on diagnosing and treating physiological malfunction with physical interventions.

Biopsychosocial (BPS) Approach

Framework viewing health and illness as joint products of biological, psychological, and social factors.

George L. Engel

Psychiatrist who coined and popularised the biopsychosocial model in the 1970s.

Biopsychosocial Model

Engel’s expanded medical model giving psychological and social factors equal standing with biology.

WHO International Classification of Functioning (ICF)

WHO framework mapping interactions among body functions, activities, participation, and contextual factors.

Biological Domain (BPS)

Genetics, immune function, neurochemistry, tissue pathology, age, sex, toxins, medications, etc.

Psychological Domain (BPS)

Learning, memory, beliefs, coping styles, trauma history, personality, expectations about the future.

Social Domain (BPS)

Family and peer support, culture, socioeconomic status, education, employment, resources, access to care.

Illness Behaviour

Observable actions a person takes in response to perceived ill health, independent of confirmed disease.

Situational Stimuli

Raw information—bodily cues, memories, advice, media—that initiates the Common Sense Model cycle.

Illness Representation

Personal cognitive and emotional story constructed to make sense of a health threat.

Coping Strategies

Behavioural or mental tactics selected to manage an illness representation within the CSM.

Appraisal & Outcomes

Process of evaluating coping results—physical, functional, emotional—and updating beliefs.

Common Sense Model (CSM) of Self-Regulation

Leventhal’s biopsychosocial framework describing how people perceive, cope with, and appraise health threats.

Howard Leventhal

Psychologist who created the Common Sense Model in the late 1960s.

Identity Dimension (CSM)

Patient’s label for the problem—“What do I call this?”

Consequences Dimension

Beliefs about the seriousness and impact of the condition on life and roles.

Timeline Dimension

Expectations about duration—acute, chronic, or cyclical.

Cause Dimension

Perceived reasons for the health problem—biological, behavioural, or external.

Control/Cure Dimension

Beliefs about personal or treatment ability to influence the condition.

Coherence Dimension

Overall clarity and understanding the patient feels about the illness.

Emotional Representation

Feelings such as fear, anger, or relief that run parallel to cognitive illness beliefs.

Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ)

Nine-item self-report tool measuring CSM illness beliefs quickly in clinic.

Avoidance / Withdrawal Coping

Strategy of resting, stopping activity, or ignoring reminders of the condition.

Cognitive Reappraisal

Mentally reframing symptoms as benign or temporary to reduce distress.

Problem-Focused Coping

Active behaviours like information seeking or following a rehab plan to solve the issue.

Emotion-Focused Coping

Actions aimed at managing feelings—venting, relaxation, mindfulness, distraction.

Social Support Seeking

Recruiting help, advice, or reassurance from family, peers, or professionals.

Professional Scope (Physiotherapy)

Role boundaries requiring collaboration and referral rather than replacing other disciplines.

Cultural Competence

Ability to respect and integrate patients’ cultural beliefs, rituals, and language into care.

Social Determinants of Health

Structural factors—SES, education, housing—that shape health and highlight inequities.

Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire

Validated screen measuring beliefs that physical activity or work will cause harm or pain.

Low Back Pain Research Critique

2020 review noting many BPS interventions still over-emphasise biology and cognition while neglecting social factors.

Systematic Review on Physiotherapist Training

2020 evidence showing wide variability in BPS education and need for mentorship and time resources.

Iterative Feedback Loop (CSM)

Cycle: Stimuli → Representation → Coping → Appraisal → updated Representation.

Patient-Centred Care

Clinical approach that respects patients as active interpreters and collaborators in health decisions.

Health Inequities

Unjust, avoidable differences in health outcomes linked to social determinants.

Interoceptive Cues

Internal bodily sensations—pain, breathlessness—informing illness perception.

Lay Memory

Pre-existing personal knowledge, beliefs, or cultural scripts about illness.

Expert & Social Channels

Information sources such as clinicians, family, media, and the internet influencing stimuli.

Re-Appraisal

Process of judging whether a coping strategy worked and deciding to maintain or modify it.

Graded Experiential Evidence

Stepwise tasks or demonstrations used to reshape maladaptive illness beliefs.

Socio-Ecological Frameworks

Models that situate individual psychology within broader social, policy, and environmental layers.

Scope Boundaries (Physiotherapist)

Ethical limits preventing substitution for psychologists or physicians but encouraging referral.

Step-Wise Assessment

Screen, prioritise, and refer method for integrating BPS factors into clinical care.

Equity Advocacy

Professional duty to address and speak out against health disparities revealed by social determinants.