1. Health Psychology
Spring, 2014
Professor Kent Harber

2. Readings and Materials
Text: Health Psychology, 7th Ed., Taylor, S.E.
NJ Books, 167 University Ave.
Reader: Affordable Copies, 55 Halsey St.
PowerPoint Slides:
nwkpsych.rutgers.edu/~kharber/healthpsychology/

3. Health Psychology Defined
“Health psychology is devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they get ill”.
Taylor, p. 3

4. What are “Psychological Influences”?
Emotions Social Relations
Thoughts Stress
Control over thoughts and feelings Personality/Temperament
Habits of action Communication
What is “Health”?
Disease free
Symptom free
Injury free
Physical well-being
Mental well-being

5. World Health Organization (WHO) Definition of Health
“A complete state of physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

6. Mind-Body Problem Are mind and body separate things?
Are they one united thing?

7. History of Health Era World View Knowledge Methods Theories Mind/Body
Beliefs
Tools and Treatments
Pre historic
(up to 2000 BCE)
Nature is mysterious, dangerous, shaped by the supernatural.
Observation
Oral tradition
Faith-based
Spirit world
Mind and body are inter-connected
herbs, poultices,
trephination
Greeks & Romans
600 BCE to 300 CE
World is ordered and rational
Logic
Association
Categories and elements
Humoral theory
Mind and body are interconnected:
Potions, herbs, diet
Dark/Middle Ages
400 CE to 1500 CE
World a battle between good and evil.
Bible
God's will, satanic influence
Mind and body are interconnected
Torture, prayer
Modern Era
1700 to present
World ordered, knowable;
separation of rational / spiritual.
Dualism
Empiricism
Cellular,
mechanistic
Mind and body are separate
Modern medicines;
microscopes, scanners, X-Ray

8. Bodies are Beautiful, Sexy, Lovely, Scary, Creepy, Ugly Nasty Things!!!

9. Pre-Science World: Wonders and Terrors

10. We Are So Beyond Superstition

11. Limitations on Pre-Science Understanding of Health
Pre-science medicine lacked basic tools for seeing, recording, measuring.

12. Trephination

13. International Trephination Advocacy Group (ITAG)
The hypothesis here at ITAG has been that making a opening in the skull favorably alters movement of blood through the brain and improves brain functions which are more important than ever before in history to adapt to an ever more rapidly changing world.

14. Stone Age Migraine
Primitive patient: Doc, I get these horrendous headaches. First I see flashing lights, then I hear this pounding, then it feels like a mastodon is standing on my skull.
Primitive MD: Hmmm. Let’s see. Yep, that sounds like a classic case of acute evil spirits.
Primitive Patient: Is this serious?
Primitive MD: Very serious. Fortunately, we have just the remedy for this condition. We’ll poke a small hole in the back of your head, and release the evil spirits. You’ll be your old self. This is called “trephining”
Primitive Patient: And is this covered by my insurance?

15. Humoral System Body contains four circulating fluids:
Blood Yellow Bile
Black Bile Phlegm
Illness: Humors are out of balance TX: Return balance of humors; bleeding
Personality linked to humors.
Phlegmatic
Mild, calm, thoughtful
Sanguine (blood)
Warm, passionate, cheerful
Bilious (bile)
Ill-tempered, crabby

16. Med. Procedures Based on Humoral System: Leeches, Bleeding, and Blistering

17. Power of the Placebo Placebos have:
a. Lowered blood sugar in diabetics
b. Shrunken tumors in cancer patients
c. Relieved post-operative pain
d. Reduced cholesterol and mortality among cardiac patients.
e. Leads to withdrawal symptoms of chemical dependence.

18. Age of Enlightenment and Tools for Seeing

19. Separation of Powers and the Power of Separations
Separate Domains of Learning: Sciences, philosophy, theology
Separation of Church and State
Separation of Powers (US Constitution): Executive, Legislative, Judiciary
Separations of Mind and Body
De Carte: Dualism, mind and body are separate
Spinoza: Emotions are irrational, keep separate from reason

20. Placebo in Drug Trials
Placebo can account for more than 30% of analgesic efficacy

21. Biopsychosocial Model
Biomedical Model Vs. Biopsychosocial Model
Biomedical Model
Biopsychosocial Model
Reductionist
Macro-level as well as mirco-level
Single factor
Multiple factors
Assumes mind-body dualism
Mind and body inseparable
Emphasizes illness over health
Emphasizes both health and illness

22. Topics Covered in This Class
1. Introduction
2. Physiological Systems (two classes)
3. Symptoms
4. Pain (two classes)
5. Stress (two classes)
6. Psychoneuroimmunology
7. Denial, optimism, pessimism, and coping
8. Hostility, negative affect, and depression
9. Adjustment to negative events
10. Coping through personal disclosure

23. Topics Covered in This Class (cont.)
11. Collective coping
12. Social relations and health
13. Negative social support
14. Stigma and illness
15. Being a patient
16. The patient/provider relationship
17. Management of chronic illness
18. Hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes
19. AIDS and cancer
20. Mortality and body attitudes
21. Health-enhancing behaviors (two classes)

24. Grading a. Mid-term 40% b. Final 45% c. Project 15%
NOTE: Syllabus error—no extra credit for “participation”. Sorry!

25. House Rules 1. Show up on time—15 + min late = absent
2. Cell phones, electronics off at start of class
3. No texting during class—ever
4. Texting during test—automatic F
5. Drinks OK, food not OK.

26. Tips on Succeeding in This Class
1. Take notes. Don’t be a passive listener.
2. Read with your pen. Don’t just highlight, make margin notes for main points.
3. Attend class
4. Download Powerpoint slides
5. I’m a nice guy, but a tough grader. Study for exams!