Final answer:
Health psychology utilizes the biopsychosocial model to understand how biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors interplay to affect health. This field studies behavioral patterns and stress-related diseases, addresses healthcare disparities, and uses various theoretical perspectives to gain a comprehensive understanding of health and illness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Current Perspectives in Health Psychology
Health psychology is a field that examines how biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors interact to influence health. The biopsychosocial model is a core concept in this area, proposing that health and illness are outcomes of the interplay between these three areas. Contemporary health psychology emphasizes the importance of this model and looks at how genetic predispositions, behavior patterns, social relationships, and psychological stress can impact an individual's health.
For example, research in health psychology might investigate the link between stress and the immune system, exploring concepts in psychoneuroimmunology, or develop interventions to change behaviors that contribute to health issues like obesity or diabetes. Disparities in health care related to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender are also of particular concern within this field, highlighting the need for inclusive health policies and practices.
Theoretical perspectives, such as functionalism, conflict, and interactionist perspectives, offer different lenses through which health psychology can be understood. Functionalism examines how health fits into societal functioning, while the conflict perspective focuses on disparities and inequalities in health. Conversely, the interactionist approach looks at the day-to-day social interactions that create our definitions of health and illness.