Module Directory

This module combines the areas of medical and health psychology to explore the biological, psychological and social processes implicated in the development of ill health.

This module will address questions such as: What psychological processes are involved in modifying behaviours associated with health? How does disadvantage feed into negative health outcomes? Does living in line with our values improve well-being? How do people recognise symptoms in themselves and attribute them to illness? What is the link between early experience and brain development and parents' health-related behaviours? Questions will be addressed from different perspectives and will provide a comprehensive overview of how individuals think about health, how they experience health, and the role that social interactions play in this process.

The aims of this module are:

• To enable students to examine and critically evaluate the interplay between biological, psychological and social factors in understanding and explaining health.


• To explore different approaches to the psychology of health, including perceptual, cognitive, and social perspectives, and consider how this knowledge can be integrated into practice (e.g., through health promotion and behaviour change intervention).

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demostrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding in the field of psychology applied to health.


2. Develop advanced understanding of different aspects of health beliefs, behaviour and behaviour change and reflect on the relationship between them.


3. Demonstrate advanced understanding of the interconnection between biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery.


4. Demonstrate critical application of qualitative methodologies to understand attitudes, beliefs, and motivations driving health-related behaviours.


5. Critically evaluate how research on psychology of health can inform real-world issues and healthcare practice.

Lectures will be focused on answering fundamental questions in psychology of health, such as those outlined in the module description.

This module will be delivered via:

• One lecture per week.
• Three seminars

Lectures which will be focused on answering fundamental questions in psychology of health. Each question will be addressed by providing background knowledge of the research area before focusing in on specific research questions and findings. Students will be encouraged to participate in lectures though discussion groups, asking questions, and also through the use of digital interactive platforms. This will ensure that the learning environment is inclusive for all students. Discussion forums on Moodle will provide an additional platform for students to seek additional support and to identify areas that need further explanation.

The additional seminars providing additional support for the qualitative assignment, and to help students to supplement the knowledge from the lecture series to enable advanced level critical understandging.