...Psychology of Health in the Workplace Psychology of Health in the Workplace Kristin Haimowitz HCA/250 January 22, 2012 Wakita R. Bradford Psychology of Health in the Workplace A good attitude can go a long way in making the place where you work a more tolerable place to be. Having a healthy lifestyle can make it easier to deal with the smaller problems that seem to happen on a day to day basis. Health psychology is concerned with understanding how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors are involved in physical health and the prevention of illness. Due to recent advances in psychological, medical, and physiological research, it had lead to new ways of thinking about health and illness. This conceptualization, which has been labeled the biopsychosocial model, views health and illness as the product of a combination of factors including biological characteristics (e.g., genetic predisposition), behavioral factors (e.g., lifestyle, stress, health beliefs, and social conditions (e.g., cultural influences, family relationships, social support) (Marks, 2011). People have developed a field of health psychology that helps people deal with stressors that they are involved with at their workplace. Many experts perform research to help them solidify their findings. Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) has developed from these studies, and does research so that they can better understand the needs of people in their work settings. Also, OHP...
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...various career opportunities in the field of psychology was conducted. In this paper three different professional psychology sub-specialties fields were explored by gathering information from various websites. The three sub-specialty fields discussed are an Experimental Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Health Psychology. Experimental Psychology The experimental psychology field is one that conducts research in cognitive behaviors of humans and animals, neuroscience and personalities. The field does this research using the scientific method. The experimental psychologist work setting can widely range from college and universities, to government and facility based settings. The information gathered is used in a variety of ways, including therapeutic methods, work related production issues, employee wellness and even employee safety issues. The methods used for the research also vary depending on the area being studied. The models all follow scientific methodology, utilizing group settings, manipulating independent variables, collecting the data and then forming a hypothesis (APA, 2012). The education preparation and training for an experimental psychologist is usually focused on research and how to conduct this research. The minimum education needed is a master’s degree in general psychology or experimental psychology. To advance in research, certain schools/Universities or salary a doctorate degree in psychology is almost always required (APA, 2012). The...
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...CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Health psychology is a specialty area that focuses on how biological, social and psychological factors influence health and illness. Health psychologist works to understand the relation of behavior and attitude to physical health. They study the effect of stress on health problem in order to educate people about stress reduction techniques and teaching people how to avoid unhealthy behaviors. They also help and guide their patient to cope with pain or illness and how to get them to seek treatment for medical conditions. Health psychologist need to hold a doctorate level degree in Psychology (Ph. D or Psy. D). In order to become licensed health psychologist in clinical or counseling psychologist, they must complete a minimum of a one-year internship after earning a doctorate degree. The American Board of Professional Psychology also offers board certification in health psychology. There are some positions for people who have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree to employ in community mental health offices or correctional facilities. They could study undergraduate degree in general psychology then specialize major in psychology in graduate school to get higher degree, but they have to work under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist. Health psychologist work in clinical and medical setting or conduct research on a variety of health related issue, or they work in government or private agency setting to influence public policy on health issues...
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...Access to higher education Psychology assignment (karon Chewter 7nd March 2016) Psychology applied to health Health psychology is the study of health, illnessillness, and health care practice. Health psychology as a unique area of psychology came to the forefront in the 1970s and has since grown. (Gross.R 2005) Health psychology is an exciting and relatively new field devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill and how they respond when they do get ill? It focuses on health promotion and maintenance, prevention and treatment of illness and the understanding of the biopsychosocial aspects of physical and mental illness, improvement of the health care system and the formulation of health policy (S.E, Taylor, 1995). The main areas of health psychology are stress and coping, health behaviours and issues in health. Health psychologists study such issues and develop interventions to help people stay well or get over illness. For exampleexample, a health psychology researcher might be interested in why adolescents continue to binge drink even though they know that binge drinking increases their risk of cancer and heart disease. Understanding this poor health habit leads to interventions to help adolescents stop binge drinking. The waysways, in which health psychologists try to change the behaviours, the influence of behaviourist such as Skinner and Watson will...
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...COMMUNITY AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY PYC 4811 MEHROONISA ANSARI STUDENT NUMBER: 568-578-8 TOPIC: Critically compare and contrast the Community psychology and Public Health Approaches to social problems. TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENT PAGE Introduction 1 Community Psychology Approach 1 Public Health Approach 1 Similarities between both approaches 2 Differences between both approaches 2-3 Conclusion 3 1/… Introduction In my critical evaluation of the Community Psychology Approach and the Public Health Approaches to social problems, I will begin by explaining what each approach is about, then draw similarities and differences between the two approaches and then end my evaluation with a discussion on the controversies surrounding the two approaches and the way forward. Community Psychology Approach Community Psychology became popular in South Africa in the 1980’s when psychologists were...
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...TOPIC: A contrast and comparison of community psychology and public health 1. Introduction Community psychology and public health are disciplines that form part of psychology mainly concern with health. Community psychology focuses on physical and mental health promotion, empowerment and social action, while the focus of public health is on health promotion and disease prevention. These two differ in some aspect and also have existing similarities. They can also complement each other have greater impact on community health when integrated. This essay will attempt to reveal the differences, similarities as well as the strength and weakness of these two approaches, it will further conclude by discussing how they complement each other. Firstly a brief overview and historical background will be given for a better understanding. 2. Overview and historical background Community psychology movement developed in the USA, during an era when there was growing concern about both lack of resources and treatment facilities and the impact of social systems on the human psyche (Iscoe& Speilberger, cited in New perspective in community psychology, 2002) In the 1980s it then gained interest in South Africa, in parallel with the struggle for democracy, when psychologist examined the appropriateness’ of Euro-American based psychology. Public health on the other hand was developed during the era of industrial revolution. It was stimulated by unhealthy social conditions in both industrialised...
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...Clinical psychology is an expansive branch that combines general practice with health services. In clinical psychology, the main focus is on diagnosing, assessing, evaluating, and treating behavioral, emotional, and mental disorders. This field became more widely recognized toward the end of the nineteenth century (American Board of Professional Psychology, n.d.). Research and statistics help the field to grow and helps psychologists and those in the mental health field to understand more about disorders and behaviors. This field also shares some similarities, as well as differences, with other mental health professions. The history of clinical psychology is a rich one, and the field continues to grow. Clinical Psychology History Before psychology was a science, it was a practice. It is believed that the practice of psychology has always existed. However, the science of psychology emerged from philosophy. The many ideas and thoughts of philosophers laid the foundation of psychology (Benjamin, 2005). The field of psychology began as a mixture of philosophy, medicine, and theology. In the late 1800’s, The Elements of Psychophysics was published by Theodor Fechner, and Principles of Physiological Psychology was published by Wilhelm Wundt. These two publications allowed the explanation that physics and physiology could be used to answer questions on a psychological level. Wundt opened the first laboratory for psychology in Germany. When he opened his laboratory, psychology as a science...
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...Legal Aspects of Professional Psychology Michael Lampe May 06, 2013 There are many factors that can affect a professional in the field of psychology. Some of these factors may be ethical issues and some may have legal issues. These two issues may seem similar. However, they are very different. American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code can help clear up any problems with ethical issues. The legal issues are not as easy to see or find the correct answers. Legal issues can be separated into two categories, legislation and litigation. Legislation concerns governmental bodies passing laws. Litigation is laws that are formed by the rule of the law. There are legal issues related to informed consent, assessment, testing, diagnosis, and confidentiality. These issues will be discussed and the influence of legislation on the field of psychology will be evaluated. Competency will also be covered. Informed Consent Informed consent is a legal and ethical term defined as the consent by a client to a proposed medical or psychotherapeutic procedure, or for participation in a research project or clinical study. In order for the consent to be informed the client must first achieve a clear understanding of the relevant facts, risks and benefits, and available alternatives involved. Informed consent requires legal documentation in all 50 states. The concept of informed consent originated with the recognition that individuals have rights: to freedom, autonomy and human dignity...
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...Biopsychology: Biopsychology is a field of psychology that analyzes how the brain and neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, thoughts and feelings. This field can be thought of as a combination of basic psychology and neuroscience. Clinical Psychology: Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior and psychiatric problems. Cognitive Psychology: Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics. Comparative Psychology: Comparative psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. Modern research on animal behavior began with the work of Charles Darwin and Georges Romanes and has continued to grow into a multidisciplinary subject. Today, biologists, psychologists, anthropologists, ecologists, geneticists and many others contribute to the study of animal behavior. Counseling Psychology: Counseling psychology focuses on providing therapeutic treatments to clients who experience a wide variety of symptoms. It is also one of the largest specialty areas within psychology. The Society of Counseling Psychology describes the field as " a psychological specialty [that] facilitates personal and interpersonal...
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...UNISA Pyc4811 Assignment 1: Unique no: 805932 2016 2016 Write an essay in which you critically compare and contrast the community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. At first glance, there seems to be a fine line between community psychology and the public health approach, however on further examination it is more than semantics that separate these two principles. Both, community psychology and the public health approach, started as a result of the frustration of main stream psychology not being able to address broader social issues. The realisation that psychology needed to focus a great deal more on community and social change in order to address mental health and illness. Although community psychology and the public health approach seem to share the same intrinsic values, the focus of community psychology seems to be more aimed at the cultural and political aspect of social behaviour and outcomes, whereas the public health is focused more on health and prevention of diseases and self actualisation within the social context. “Whereas public health considers physical health and well-being as paramount to successful living and aims to reduce the individual's engagement in high-risk behaviour and dangerous environments, community psychology is more concerned with the social and political context of mental health” (S. Van Niekerk,2013) Treatment...
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...PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE This course aims at preparing students for a professional journey in the growing field of psychology by creating interest and developing an understanding of basic concepts of the discipline. Its major concerns include fostering capability to meet the challenges of self-discovery and effective participation in responding to the needs of society. With a vision to create a balance between society and the individual, the course intends to enable students in developing abilities needed for meeting the challenges and needs of the real world effectively. Along with it, students would also be encouraged to build a relationship with oneself, requisite for self discovery. To this end, the course emphasizes on building the conceptual foundations and acquiring psychological skills through classroom teaching/learning consisting of reflective as well as creative engagement in exercises, projects and hands on experiences. The teaching-learning of the programme would be organized through lectures, group discussions, experiential exercises, group projects, presentations, workshops and seminars. Students would be encouraged to connect to real life issues and participate in the programs and practices in the different social context. To this end practicum is incorporated as an important component in most of the papers with hands on training in the use of various research methods such as: laboratory experiments, field experiments, observation, testing, survey, interview, case...
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...Examination of Clinical Psychology Lisa Brown PSY/480 April 6, 2015 William Philadelphia Examination of Clinical Psychology This paper will be providing an examination of clinical psychology. This examination will include discussing the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology, the role of research and statistics in clinical psychology, and the differences between clinical psychology and other mental health professions such as social work, psychiatry, and school psychology. History of Clinical Psychology The field of psychology was born in 1892 with the American Psychological Association being founded. Clinical psychology was born four years later, in 1896 with the first psychological clinic being opened at the University of Pennsylvania. Lightner Witmer opened this clinic and provided the ability to apply psychological philosophy to human illness (Reisman, 1991). Many of Witmer’s colleagues did not like the idea of using the science of psychology on real clinical problems. Even though Witmer’s thoughts and ideas were not well received at that time, he was still able to open the clinic and provide programs for children struggling with school-related issues (Plante, 2011). The development of tests to help explore the mental abilities in children grew with the Binet-Simon intelligence scale that was created for testing children in 1904. The scale was renamed Stanford-Binet in 1916 when a psychologist at Stanford University revised the scale...
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...The Discipline of Psychology There are three important concepts to remember when defining psychology: science, behavior and mental processes. When defining psychology for a friend I would first simply just give him/her the standard book definition, which is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. But, psychology can be defined in many different ways. Another definition of psychology could be the scientific study of the human mind and its functions such as those affecting behavior. Psychology’s discipline is an academic and applied discipline. Both are wholly committed to the scientific study of human minds and behavior. Academic psychology is the groundwork science which serves as a foundation for research conducted in applied psychology. Applied psychology uses psychological professed rules and provisional research methods to find out practical dilemmas. Psychologists are in pursuit to better comprehend lone and civil behaviors by analyzing the physiological, exterior, and the neurobiological methods that effects human manners within oneself. Practitioners of psychology use empirical methods which is just verifying by observation and experience rather than theory or pure logic. This approach is used to find similarities amid psychosocial theories like understanding, a person’s character and mental state. An immense portion of psychology is committed to the scientific determination and the doctoring of mental health issues, but that’s just...
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... 3. Approaches 4 1. Prevention and health promotion 4 2. Empowerment and citizen participation 5 4. Conclusion 6 5. List of references 7 1. Introduction This assignment is about critically comparing and contrasting the community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. Firstly I will define the concepts involved, secondly I will briefly discuss historical context of both community psychology and public health and lastly I will discuss approaches. . The comparison will be based upon prevention and health promotion, empowerment, individual wellness and citizen participation 2. Definition of concepts Community psychology is all about how individuals relate to the society in which they live. Public health on the other hand is defined as being concerned with preventing disease and distress. Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals. On the other hand, community psychology is fundamentally concerned with the relationship between social systems and individual well-being in the community context. Community psychology aims to promote human welfare. Community psychology focuses on economic, environmental, political and social factors...
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...Page 1 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE • What is ‘psychology’ and why is it so important in the context of health and social care? • What do we mean by ‘health’ and why is psychology central to the effective delivery of health and social care? • What are the main approaches to psychological thinking and research? • Who are psychologists and what do they contribute to the promotion of health and well-being? Introduction This chapter emphasizes the importance of psychology in the context of health and social care. For many years, psychology and the other social sciences were viewed by the medical profession as ‘soft sciences’, interesting but unimportant. With the advent of research into the links between physical and mental states in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries it is now possible to demonstrate that psychology can make a fundamental difference to physical as well as mental health. In this chapter, we explore the nature of psychology and its relevance to health and social care. We outline the different schools of thought and methods of inquiry in psychology. We seek to distinguish between psychology as an academic discipline and popular notions of psychology, and identify professionals whose practice is mainly concerned with the application of psychology. In order to show how psychology can be applied to health and social care, we introduce a family scenario whose characters appear in examples throughout the book. What is psychology...
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