Health Psychology Flashcards
(36 cards)
What are the 4 key approaches
- Biological
- Behaviourism
- Social Learning
- Cognitive
What are the key features of the biological approach?
- Biological Determinism
- Evolutionary Adaptation
- Scientific Methodology
- Genetic Influence
- Comparative Approach
What are the key features of the behaviourist approach?
- Stimulus response
- Classical conditioning
- Reinforcement and punishment
- Objective measurement
- Reductionism
- Nomothetic
- Law of effect
What are the key features of the social learning approach?
- It agrees with the behaviourist theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning and adds two ideas
- Mediating processes occur between stimuli and responses
- Behaviour is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning
What are the key features of the cognitive approach?
- Mediation processes
- Information processing approach
- Reductionism (breaks behaviour down)
- Nomothetic (studies the group)
- Schemas (re: Kohlberg and Piaget)
What does the biological approach explain?
The biological approach explains human behaviour, cognition and emotions through internal biological mechanisms such as genetics, brain function, hormones, and neurotransmitters. It mainly focuses of how biology can affect our psychology.
What does the behaviourist approach explain?
This is a theoretical perspective in psychology that emphasises the role of learning and observable behaviours in understanding human and animal actions. It states that al behaviours are learned through conditioned interactions with the environment making behaviour a response to environmental stimuli.
What does the social learning approach explain?
This theory developed by Albert Bandura, suggests that people learn by observing others. It emphasises the importance of imitation, modelling, and reinforcement in the learning process. It considers how both environmental and cognitive faction interact to influence human learning behaviour.
What does the cognitive approach explain?
This approach in psychology studies mental processes, such as how we perceive, think, remember, learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Cognitive psychologists view the mind as an information processor, like how computer handle data.
Define stress
This can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope because of pressure that are unmanageable.
Define addiction
This is a term that means compulsive psychological need for a use of habit-forming substance (like heroin or nicotine), characterised by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.
How can your mental state affect your physical state?
Stress / anxiety, releasing adrenaline and cortisol, can lead to physical changes in the body such as weight loss or gain, weakened immune system, hair loss, nausea, tremors, loss of appetite
How can your physical state affect your mental state?
If you don’t move your body in the right way, or enough, it can lead to depression, anxiety and heightened cortisol levels. Poor physical health can lead to poor mental health
What type of people are more likely to have preventable physical health condidtions?
People with mental health problems
What are feature of people with mental health problems?
- Genetics
- Low motivation
- Difficulty with concentration and planning
- Lack of support to change unhealthy behaviour
- Being less likely to receive medical help
What physical symptoms can be caused by mental health problems?
- Depression can come with headaches, fatigue, and digestive problems
- Anxiety can come with insomnia, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating
What can you do to prevent physical health problems as a result of mental health problems?
- Exercise: this is a good way to keep physically health as well as improving mental wellbeing
- Eat well: eating well can improve your wellbeing and your mood
- Stop smoking: smoking has a negative impact on both mental and physical health
- Make an appointment with you GP: if you worried about your physical health, you could ask for help from your GP
What are the therapy techniques
- CBT
- EMDR
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Art therapy
What is CBT?
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Looks at changing behaviours and the way you think about certain things
What is EMDR?
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing
- A form of psychotherapy used to treat mental health issues such as PTSD, it involved recalling traumatic memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation such as eye movements to help process and reduce the distress associated with those memories
What is Psychodynamic therapy?
A form of talk therapy that helps individual understand how their past experiences and unconscious processes influence theory present thoughts, feeling and behaviours
What is art therapy?
- Utilises art tools to process feelings, and emotions
Why does the NHS not offer some forms of therapy?
There isn’t evidence that all of them are scientific such as psychodynamic therapy.
Define behavioural addiction
Behavioural addiction is defined as an intense desire to repeat some action that is pleasurable or perceived to improve well-being or capable of alleviating some personal distress, despite the awareness that such action may have negative consequences
