chapter 14 health psych

health psychology

A subfield of psychology that emphasizes psychology’s role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness

behavioral medicine

An interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating behavioral and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness

health behaviors

Practices that affect our physical well-being

theory of reasoned action

Theoretical model stating that effective change requires individuals to have specific intentions about their behaviors, positive attitudes about a new behavior, and believe that their social group looks favorably upon the new behavior

theory of planned behavior

Theoretical model that includes the basic ideas of the theory of reasoned action but adds the person’s perceptions of control over the outcome

stages of change model

Theoretical model describing a five-step process by which individuals give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles:

1. precontemplation

2. contemplation

3. preparation/determination

4. action/willpower

5. maintenance

relapse

A return to former unhealthy patterns

implementation intentions

Specific strategies for dealing with the challenges of making a life change

social support

feedback from others indicating that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and included in a network of communication and mutual obligation

3 types:

1. tangible assistance

2. information

3. emotional support

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Selye’s term for the common effects of stressful demands on the body, consisting of 3 stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)

The complex set of interactions among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands that regulate various body processes and control reactions to stressful events

psychoneuroimmunology

field of scientific inquiry that explores connections among psychological factors (attitudes and emotions), the nervous system, and immune system

Type A

being excessively competitive, hard-driven, impatient, and hostile- related to a higher incidence of heart disease

Type B

being relaxed and easygoing—related to a lower incidence of heart disease

Type C

hold things in- higher incidence of cancer

Type D

being generally distressed, having negative emotions, and lacking a good social support system—related to adverse cardiovascular outcomes

Type H

hardy, know how to handle stress

cognitive appraisal

Individuals’ interpretation of the events in their life as harmful, threatening, or challenging and their determination of whether they have the resources to cope

coping

Managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve life’s problems, and seeking to master or reduce stress

internal locus of control

how much control do I have over events in my life?

external locus of control

I believe it’s luck, chance, or fate. Things are just going to happen

self-efficacy

belief one can master a situation

acute stress

can be adaptive, cortisol helps us take action

chronic stress

over a long period of time, damaging

problem-focused coping

coping strategy of squarely facing one’s troubles and trying to solve them

emotion-focused coping

coping strategy that involves responding to the stress that one is feeling—trying to manage one’s emotional reaction—rather than focusing on the root problem itself

positive reappraisal

Reinterpreting a potentially stressful experience as positive, valuable, or even beneficial

stress management program

A regimen that teaches individuals how to appraise stressful events, how to develop skills for coping with stress, and how to put these skills into use in everyday life

exercise

Structured activities whose goal is to improve health

aerobic exercise

Sustained activity—jogging, swimming, or cycling, for example—that stimulates heart and lung functioning

sexually transmitted infection (STI)

An infection that is contracted primarily through sexual activity—vaginal intercourse as well as oral and anal sex

acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

A sexually transmitted infection, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), that destroys the body’s immune system