Health Psychology. Michael Murray
and wield a politics of demonization that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people to win the support of voters.
This rhetoric will have an increasingly dangerous impact on actual policy. In 2016, governments turned a blind eye to war crimes, pushed through deals that undermine the right to claim asylum, passed laws that violate free expression, incited murder of people simply because they use drugs, legitimized mass surveillance, and extended draconian police powers. (Amnesty International, 2017: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2017/02/amnesty-international-annual-report-201617/)
The report also refers to the fact that some countries have implemented intrusive security measures, such as prolonged emergency powers in France and unprecedented surveillance laws in the UK. Another feature of ‘strongman’ politics has been the rise of anti-feminist and anti-LGBTI rhetoric, such as efforts to roll back women’s rights in Poland (Amnesty International, 2017).
Changes to the geo-political framework towards an openly political agenda that supports division, inequality, discrimination, scapegoating and stigma are likely to ripple across into health and social care. All who work in health care face everyday difficult decisions that profoundly impact upon people’s lives. The embedding of such decisions in a human rights-based ethical foundation of ‘do no harm’ becomes ever more relevant if the current climate continues.
Making the Best Use of This Book
This sixth edition has been streamlined in order to focus on the core issues pertinent to students. A new chapter on stress has also been added. Lecturers may recommend the chapters in any order, according to the requirements of any particular course and their personal interests and preferences. Chapters are written as free-standing documents. No prior reading of other chapters is assumed.
Each chapter begins with an Outline and ends with a detailed Summary of key ideas and suggestions for Future Research. Each chapter contains tables, figures and boxes, and recent examples of key studies to guide student understanding. International studies present works by key people living in different parts of the world, showing how context, culture and the environment affect health and behaviour.
Key terms are identified by bold and defined in the Glossary at the end of the book.
A useful companion reader to this textbook is The Health Psychology Reader (Marks, 2002a), which reprints and discusses 25 key articles, accompanied by introductions to the main themes. Readers can also refer to the 85 key articles in New Directions in Health Psychology (Murray and Chamberlain, 2015).
Online resources
The following online resources in support of Health Psychology can be found at https://study.sagepub.com/Marks6e
Student resources
Learning objectives for each chapter to help structure your learning and summarise key points.
Useful multiple choice questions to test your understanding of important information.
Extra case studies to see how health psychology is applied in real world contexts.
Video links that offer a fresh perspective on the concepts covered in the book.
eFlashcards to aid your revision of key terms and ideas.
Lecturer resources
A testbank of questions which can be used to help student progress and understanding.
Downloadable and customisable PowerPoint slides for use in class.
Acknowledgements
DFM: Over 20 years, many talented people have created this textbook and I wish to acknowledge their contributions. To Michael and Emee, my co-authors, for friendship and collaboration; specifically, to MM for his unstinting support and lively humour; to EVE for cake, songs and smiles. To Brian Evans, co-author of four previous editions, for walks and talks over heath and by river. To Ziyad Marar for his enthusiastic skills of persuasion that drew me into the SAGE fold more than two decades ago. To colleagues at SAGE: Michael Carmichael, the original commissioning editor, Luke Block, Amy Jarrold, Donna Goddard and Katie Rabot and the complete editorial team for editing this sixth edition. To Alice Vallat, for a happy home in Arles, Provence. Thank you all warmly – this book couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened without you.
MM: Thanks to David for initiating and sustaining this project over the years and to the various other co-authors (Brian, Carla, Catherine, Cailine and Emée) who have added so much to it. Thanks, as well, to my wonderful and loving wife (Anne) and sons (Matthew and Daniel) for their continuing support, kindness and inspiration.
EVE: To my parents for life, to my Andy for love, to my mentor, DFM, for guidance, and to my son, Vas, for purpose – thanks!
Part 1 Health Psychology In The Context Of Biology, Society And Methodology
This book provides an in-depth, critical overview of the field of health psychology. In Part 1 we are concerned with the biological and psychosocial context of the health and illness experience. This part covers the most relevant aspects of the biological and social sciences that contribute to an in-depth knowledge of health psychology.
In Chapter 1 we review the meaning of the concept of ‘health’ and the development of health psychology as a field of inquiry. Health and health psychology are defined and issues of measurement and the scaling of subjective well-being are presented. Frameworks, theories and models are discussed and a framework we call the ‘Health Onion’ is introduced.
In Chapter 2 we introduce the role of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems and the important principle of homeostasis in human health and well-being. These are the key biological systems for the preservation of equilibrium in mind, body and spirit.
In Chapter 3 we focus on the influence of genetics, epigenetics and development across the lifespan. Development is life-long and multi-dimensional with biological, cognitive, psychosocial, economic and spiritual aspects.
In Chapter 4 we discuss the contextual factors of the macro-social environment: the demographic, economic and societal factors which operate globally to structure the health experience of populations, communities and individuals. The chapter uses a wide-angle lens to explore the bigger picture of the global context for human health and suffering.
In Chapter 5 we examine the associations of social inequalities and social injustice with health outcomes. Measures to tackle social injustice are required at political and policy levels and health psychologists can play a role as agents and facilitators of change.
In Chapter 6 we examine the ways in which health and illness have been construed across time and place. Western biomedicine often tends to be accepted as ‘scientific’ and ‘evidence based’, while the medical systems of other cultures and indigenous populations, including ‘complementary’ therapies, are often written off as ’unscientific mumbo-jumbo’, ‘supernatural’ or ‘magical’. These alternative systems at least deserve to be fairly evaluated in the