PSYC 1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Asthma, Conscientiousness, Common Cold
21 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Contagious diseases vs. chronic diseases: biopsychosocial model, health psychology. Prior to the 20th century, the principle threats to health were contagious diseases caused by infectious agents: smallpox, diphtheria, etc. Nutrition, public hygiene, and medical treatment have obliterated many of these diseases. Unfortunately, chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, diseases that develop gradually, continue to increase. The traditional view of physical illness as a purely biological phenomenon has given way to a new model, the biopsychosocial model, which holds that physical illness is caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Health psychology is the field of study that seeks to determine the importance of psychological factors in illness, as well as in prevention and health maintenance. Historical trends in the death rates for various diseases reveal that contagious diseases (shown in blue) have declined as a threat to health. However, the death rates for stress-related chronic diseases (shown in red) have remained quite high.
