Health Psychology Basics
This limitation of traditional medicine helped motivate the development of health psychology as a field.
Stress involves not only events, but also this subjective process.
This hormone is released via the HPA axis and mobilizes energy during stress.
Cortisol
This coping style involves directly addressing a stressor or emotion.
Engagement coping
This theory focuses on perceived risk, benefits, barriers, and cue to action as it's main constructs.
Health Belief Model
Unlike other traditional health models, this model emphasizes that biology, psychology, and social factors are interconnected.
Biopsychosocial model
Walter Cannon
This system produces fight-or-flight responses such as increased heart rate
This psychological factor strongly influences whether coping improves wellbeing.
Perceived control
This theory identifies behavioral intention as the strongest predictor of behavior.
Theory of planned behavior
The field of health psychology became increasingly important as medicine shifted to treating these types of conditions.
Chronic diseases
This researcher proposed the General Adaptation Syndrome.
Hans Selye
This term refers to the cumulative physiological burden of chronic stress
Allostatic load
This explains why disengagement coping may reduce distress short-term but worsen health over time
Sustained stress activation
This model emphasizes readiness to change, but also has mixed empirical support.
Transtheoretical/ Stages of change
This explains why education alone rarely changes health behavior.
Knowledge doesn't equal behavior
This theoretical shift helped explain individual differences in stress response.
Inclusion of cognitive appraisal and coping
Chronic stress can dysregulate the immune, cardiovascular, and this system.
Endocrine or neuroendocrine
This concept connects coping strategies to long-term physiological regulation.
Self-regulation
This theory posits that the main drivers of behavior are autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Self-determination model