2016/17 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue
PSYC5600M Introduction, Approaches and Issues in Psychological Approaches to Health
15 creditsClass Size: 40
Module manager: Dr Daryl O'Connor
Email: D.B.O'Connor@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2016/17
This module is not approved as an Elective
Objectives
On completion of this module, students should be able to discuss 'historical' health issues investigated by psychologists;identify how those issues have influenced current theoretical approaches to health in psychology; identify contemporary health-related issues; suggest applications of current theoretical approaches to contemporary issues.
Syllabus
Historical Issues:
The shift in emphasis from medical to biopsychosocial models.
Psychosomatic medicine.
Work attempting to link personality factors to health:
- Type A behaviour and heart disease,
- 'fighting spirit' and cancer.
Current Approaches:
Current approaches often emphasise interactions between individual and social factors. For example, the investigation of life control and social support.
Examples of psychological models and their application to health will be considered.
Social-cognition (Theory of Planned Behaviour, Health Belief Model), Self-regulatory (Leventhal, 1985) and Stages of Change models will be discussed with specific reference to contemporary issues.
Contemporary Issues:
Health inequalities; Psychological stress and health; Immune and endocrine system effects; Stress and health damaging behaviours; Job strain and psychological and physiological health; Pain; Medical error; Identification of Risk
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Debate | 10 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| Lecture | 10 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| Private study hours | 130.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150.00 | ||
Private study
6 hours reading per lecture (60 hours);20 hours reading for discussion meetings;
20 hours commentary preparation;
30 hours long essay preparation.
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
1000 word brief commentary on a selected reading identifying an approach and the issue, submitted week 5. To be returned with feedback two weeks later (week 7).Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay or Dissertation | 3,000 word essay | 100.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 09/12/2015
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- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
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