PSYC 303-01, Psychology of Health, Fall 1998

Abstract

Informational Goals: 1. To provide students with a preliminary understanding of the important ways in which psychological states and behaviors are involved in health and illness 2. To provide students with a basic knowledge of chronic illnesses and their incidence rates, as well as the effectiveness of psychologically based treatment modalities 3. To provide students a closer look at some illness of interest or relevance to them, and to consider the psychological risk and treatment factors Skill and Experience Goals: 4. To provide students with experience in reading the academic literature in psychology and an appreciation for the difficulties inherent in research, particularly in health fields 5. To sensitize students to the impact of stress on health and well-being, and to introduce them to several techniques for controlling and managing their own stress 6. To provide students with experience evaluating claims of product or procedure effectiveness. 7. To encourage the student to question his or her own health behaviors, and to give the student first-hand experience with the difficulty in modifying these behaviors 8. To encourage the student to think more broadly about health, prevention, and life-style