Knowra Health psychology Health psychology Health psychology studies how biological, psychological, and social factors shape health, illness, and healthcare behavior. It applies psychological research to prevention, coping, treatment, and health systems.
Biopsychosocial model : A framework that explains health and illness through interacting biological, psychological, and social factors. This model provides health psychology’s central account of how influences across levels combine.
Adherence (medicine) : The extent to which a person’s actions follow agreed recommendations for medication, treatment, or health behavior. Health psychologists study why treatment plans are followed or abandoned and how to improve adherence.
Psychology : The scientific study of mind and behavior. Health psychology is a specialized branch of this broader discipline.
George Engel : An American psychiatrist who advanced the biopsychosocial model of health and illness. Engel’s model challenged strictly biomedical explanations and helped shape the field’s foundations.
Clinical psychology : The psychological specialty concerned with assessing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Clinical psychology centers on psychological disorders, while health psychology also addresses physical health and healthcare.
Stress (biology) : A set of bodily and behavioral responses to demands or threats that challenge an organism’s capacity to adapt. Stress links psychological appraisal and social demands to physiological changes relevant to health.
Motivational interviewing : A collaborative counseling method that strengthens a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. It applies psychological principles to support changes such as smoking cessation or medication use.
Behavioral medicine : An interdisciplinary field integrating behavioral and biomedical knowledge to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness. It overlaps with health psychology while emphasizing collaboration across behavioral and medical disciplines.
American Psychological Association : A professional organization representing psychologists and advancing psychological science and practice in the United States. Its Division 38, established in 1978, formalized health psychology within the profession.
Medical model : An approach to illness that explains disease primarily through biological pathology and medical diagnosis or treatment. The biopsychosocial approach expands beyond this model’s emphasis on biological disease processes.
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