Health Psychology

This course provides you with an introduction to the field of Health Psychology which studies how biology, behavior, and social context influence health, wellness, and illness. The course explores the main theoretical approaches and research methods in health psychology and provides current examples of practice in the field along with a number of practical applications of core concepts covered in class readings and discussions. The course is designed to enable you to acquire theoretical knowledge and complete experiential learning activities related to course concepts and learning objectives.

In this course you will understand the biopsychosocial processes that influence health and health care delivery. Topics to be examined are the psychophysiological and social bases of health and illness; stress and coping; substance use; eating behaviors; pain; adaptation to chronic and terminal illness; health-promoting behaviors; patient adherence; and using healthcare.

The course is structured into six distinctive modules covering the main aspects of Health Psychology as a discipline and its application to real-world scenarios: (1) theoretical approaches and tools; (2) stress, illness, and coping; (3) lifestyles to enhance health and prevent illness; (4) becoming ill and getting medical treatment; (5) physical symptoms; and (6) chronic and high-mortality illness. Within these areas, you will engage in field research on particular topics of interest to you within an intercultural framework.