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Health Psychology: Mind-Body Connections and Wellness Study Guide

This guide traces the historical development of thought regarding the mind-body relationship, examining ancient theories, the impact of dualism, and the emergence of psychosomatic, behavioral, and biopsychosocial models. It highlights how these evolving perspectives have shaped our understanding of health, illness, and treatment, emphasizing the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors in contemporary health psychology.

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Foundations and Evolution of Health Psychology

Introduction to Health Psychology

Understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why people get ill, and how they respond to illness.

  • Health Psychology
  • Biopsychosocial Model of Health
  • World Health Organization definition of health
  • Health promotion and maintenance
  • Prevention and treatment of illness
  • Etiology and correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction
  • Improving the health care system and policy

Evolution of Mind-Body Relationships

Historical perspectives on mind-body relationships range from early unitary views and Greek humoral theory to Cartesian dualism and the modern biopsychosocial model.

  • mind-body unitary hypothesis
  • trephination
  • humoral theory
  • temperaments
  • supernatural and mysticism beliefs
  • mind-body dualism
  • biopsychosocial model
  • biomedical model
  • psychosomatic medicine
  • behavioural medicine
  • systems theory
  • reductionistic views

Introduction to Health Psychology

Health psychology is devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they do get ill.

  • health psychology
  • biopsychosocial model
  • mind-body relationship
  • health promotion and maintenance
  • prevention and treatment of illness
  • etiology and correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction
  • health behaviours
  • treatment-related behaviours
  • wellness

Evolution of Mind-Body Medicine Perspectives

The text explores the historical transition from Descartes' mind-body dualism to psychosomatic medicine, behavioural medicine, and the modern biopsychosocial perspective.

  • mind-body dualism
  • conversion hysteria
  • psychosomatic medicine
  • behavioural medicine
  • biopsychosocial perspective
  • autonomic nervous system
  • unconscious conflicts
  • health habits
  • holistic approaches

The Biopsychosocial Model of Health

The biopsychosocial model maintains that health and illness are consequences of the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

  • biopsychosocial model
  • biomedical model
  • mind-body dualism
  • reductionistic model
  • systems theory
  • microlevel processes
  • macrolevel processes
  • interdisciplinary team approach
  • patient-practitioner relationship

Introduction to the Field of Health Psychology

Health psychology explores the psychological and social context of health and illness through the biopsychosocial model and the study of changing illness patterns.

  • biopsychosocial approach
  • acute disorders
  • chronic illnesses
  • epidemiology
  • morbidity
  • mortality
  • determinants of health
  • health promotion
  • health behaviours
  • treatment-related behaviours
  • biomedical model

Evolution of the Mind-Body Relationship

Western philosophers have vacillated between views of the mind and body as a single system or two separate ones throughout history.

  • mind–body relationship
  • social determinants of health
  • colonialism
  • trephination
  • humoral theory
  • four humours
  • mysticism
  • demonology
  • placebo effect

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