Health Psychology: A Critical Introduction aims to provide students with a stimulating alternative to the textbooks
currently available by placing the discipline within the context of the social world and encouraging them to question
some of the assumptions and values underlying much current research. A comprehensive survey of the discipline is
provided, framed within a lifespan approach, and emphasising social-cultural factors such as gender, ethnicity
and social-economic status. All major topics are covered, including health behaviours, health promotion, coping
strategies, stress, biomedical and biopsychosocial models of health and illness, chronic illnesses, psychoneuroimmunology,
disability, pain, and patient-provider communication. Each topic is situated within its social and cultural context
and constantly linked back to real-world experience. Chapters include valuable features such as research updates,
learning objectives and recommended readings. This book will be an invaluable resource for students of health psychology
across a range of disciplines including psychology, anthropology and health studies.
Distinctive approach, bringing new, more 'critical' perspectives to health psychology, whilst offering a comprehensive
integrated introduction to the topic
Locates individuals and their experiences of health and illness within their social worlds, and explicitly
considers people who are from minority or disadvantaged groups in society
User friendly format offers learning aims, 'research in focus' boxes, recommended readings and glossary terms
for each chapter
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Locating the field: introducing health psychology
2. Thinking about health and the body
3. Choosing lifestyles
4. Controlling the body
5. Becoming ill
6. Comprehending bodily experience
7. Interacting with health professionals
8. Treating illness
9. Being ill
10. Dying
11. Relocating the field: critical health psychology
Glossary
References
Author index
Subject index.