Health Psychology

This course is an introduction to the field of health psychology, a subspecialty of psychology that concerned with how people stay healthy, how and why they become ill, and how they behave when ill. The discipline of health psychology approaches those questions using elements of psychobiology, personality psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. Students will be introduced to major theories of health psychology, including strengths and critiques of these theories. Major themes of the class include the study of factors influencing the practice of health behaviors, the relationship between stress and physical function, and the impact of and management of chronic illness.