Developing Areas of Health Psychology Essay

Introduction

Health psychology is an area which is committed to the grasping of psychological influences, on the processes of health including; the reason people get sick, how people respond to illnesses and how a person can heal from an illness or can adapt to chronic diseases and stay healthy. The history of health psychology has seen some progress in its identification as a discipline. Health psychology is an area of applied psychological research (Gurung, 2019). Research in Health psychology looks into the results and determinants of physical health, identifying that health behavior is essential to health (Gurung, 2019). The growth in health psychology in recent years has necessitated more research in the fields of health behavior change and coping with chronic illnesses.

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Areas of Health Psychology That Require More Research

Health Behaviour Change

A new development in health psychology is the area of health behavior. The abstract of health behavior plays a significant duty in preventing illnesses, promotion of health, and behavior of patients in treatment settings, through psychological pathways, hence an essential area for further study. Fundamental changes in health behavior and how changes in the environment can be employed to aid individuals in acting healthy deserves more research. Changes in the society have posed new questions on health behavior, including health behavior in the elderly and the issues of culture which are connected to health, in a population that is ethnically diverse. Behavior change as a new field is more of a psychological subject than medical and has received significant attention in and out of the scientific community. Factors which have facilitated the rise in the field of behavior change include escalated increase in the costs of medical care, and the development of a new understanding of health and illness (Gurung, 2019). Within social sciences, a paradigm shift has occurred, implying that the body and the mind cannot be separated when it comes to an understanding of processes related to health. Health can now be seen as an active success. Health psychologists need to provide more analysis on adopting and maintaining health behaviors including; proper nutrition, exercise, and dental hygiene and an exploration of reasons why people continue to fail to abstain from smoking and alcoholism.

Coping With Chronic Illnesses

Coping with chronic illnesses is another area that requires more research. This is because it is a process driven by resources, and patients have been identified experience quicker recovery after surgery and to readjust better to long term terminal disease and disability. Health psychology can offer insights on some analytical techniques and assist people in preparing for stressing medical interventions, guiding them through challenging lifetime courses (Smith, 2015). More focus should be on life quality if the recovery of an individual is impossible. In the case where life is no longer bearable, there have to be ways in which relatives, doctors, and patients can unite on the controversially ethic issue of a dignified death by a person's own will.

Importance of Further Study

There is no magic available for altering risk behaviors because human emotions, cognition, and practices are involved, and one quick approach cannot change them. There is a promising future in the health behavior theories that outline the stages of behavior changes. These behavior changes theories focuses on bringing change and tailoring interventions to a particular phase where an individual can be predisposed optimally for social influences and health messages. Collaboration and communication between health psychology, public health, and medicine need to be developed.

Conclusion

Health psychology is based on powerful and promising psychological theories, and it adheres to high methodological standards, which makes it suitable for the advancements in health practice and health sciences. Health psychologists are at the front of much new research and clinical frontiers and can make immense future contributions. In the areas of Behavior change and coping with chronic illnesses, psychologists should utilize and develop new skills practical to patients. Through educating new generations of health psychologists, challenges posed by the future will be met adequately.

References

Gurung, R. A., R. (2019). Health Psychology: Well-being in a Diverse World (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.Retrieved from https://www.uwgb.edu/gurungr/files/pdf/Gurung_vita.pdf

Smith, J. A. (Ed.). (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage. Retrieved fromhttps://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/qualitative-psychology/book242733