Author Profile

Dr. Sanjay Kumar is presently working with Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. Dr. Kumar has done his Ph. D from Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi in 2011. Dr. Kumar has written one book on "Alcohol and Social Cognition" and he has authored 10 chapters in National and International books. There are 41 Research and Empirical Papers in his Credit which are published in National and International Journals of repute. Three scholars have been awarded Ph. D under his supervision. His thrust areas are Clinical Psychology, Substance Dependence, Psychological Assessment and Psychotherapeutics. He is an expert in conducting workshops on various psychological themes. He is in editorial team of various journals and Managing Editor of Journal of Contemporary Research and Journal of Social Science and Literature Studies.

About The Book

Health Psychology is a smart and readable textbook that should appeal to both instructors and students of health psychology. Its overall structure is intuitively appealing and progresses from health beliefs to factors associated with becoming ill to the actual state of being ill. Using a number of striking graphs, the author highlights the disparities in health by geography, social class, and gender. The book's greatest appeal, however, is its focus on the major ideas in health psychology. The reader is not bombarded with subtleties of dozens of studies; rather the broader theories are emphasized. Whether you come to health psychology with a background in social, clinical, physiological, or other specialization, you will find this to be a compelling book. This book offers a broad introduction to the discipline of health psychology. First it provides a brief history of health psychology and highlights difference between health psychology and a more traditional biomedical model. It then describes the focus of health psychology in terms of a biopsychosocial model, health and illness as being on a continuum, the direct and indirect pathways between psychological factors and health and the emphasis on explaining variability.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 Understanding Health Psychology
Chapter 2 Beliefs Associated with Health
Chapter 3 Cognitive Behaviour Approach to Illness
Chapter 4 Communication: Doctor-Patient and Health Professionals
Chapter 5 Behavioural Approach to Alcohol Use and Smoking
Chapter 6 Eating Behaviour
Chapter 7 Psychology of Exercise
Chapter 8 Sex Psychology
Chapter 9 Psychology of Screening
Chapter 10 Psychology of Stress
Chapter 11 Psychology of Stress And Illness
Chapter 12 Psychology of Pain
Chapter 13 Behaviour and Health
Chapter 14 HIV and Cancer Psychology
Chapter 15 Psychology of Obesity And Coronary Heart Disease
Chapter 16 Measuring Health
Chapter 17 Health Psychology Assumptions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index