PSYC 605: Health Psychology

Discover the transformative approach to mental well-being by Stephen Ilardi, focusing on natural lifestyle changes. Explore the power of physical activity, Omega-3 fatty acids, sunlight exposure, and nurturing social connections. Elevate your holistic health with Ilardi's Therapeutic Lifestyle Change.

Explore the diverse techniques in medical imaging for visualizing brain structures. From CT scans and MRIs to PET scans and EEGs, understand their specific roles and applications. Grasp how these non-invasive tools assist in diagnostics and treatment planning.

Unpack the different psychological perspectives on motivation, from biological drives to socio-cultural influences. Understand how internal and external factors shape our desire and commitment. Explore the roles of conscious and unconscious elements in motivating behavior.

Explore persuasion techniques such as Door-in-the-face, Foot-in-the-door, That's-not-all, and Not-so-free sample, commonly used in psychology, marketing, and sales, where only Foot-in-the-door initiates with a small request to enhance compliance with a larger one later based on the consistency principle.

Explore Hans Selye's groundbreaking General Adaptation Syndrome, detailing the body's three-stage response to stress. Learn about the physiological reactions in each stage, from alarm to exhaustion. Grasp the importance of managing chronic stress and its potential health implications.

Understand Freud's perspective on dreams as manifestations of unconscious desires and conflicts. Contrast this with the Neural Activation Theory, which links dreaming to random neural activity during REM sleep. Discuss the criticisms and nuances of both theories in modern psychology.