Unit of Study PSYC1009 Introducing Health Psychology (2025)

Unit description

Provides students with basic principles, theories and application of health psychology. This covers various issues including: adaptation to and management of illness and symptoms, pain perception, and adherence to medicines/treatment recommendations. Through collaborative tutorial learning in using scenarios with different characters, and the use of online discussion forums, students will consider the meaning of health and illness in differing contexts and apply health psychology theory.  Students will also record a podcast on a health behaviour change intervention.

Unit content

1. Defining health and illness – psychological models of health
2. Pain and symptom perception
3. Adherence to medicines/treatment
4. Emotions and health
5. Basics of health behaviour change 1
6. Basics of health behaviour change 2