writing Health Psychology

ASSESSMENT BRIEF

Module title: Health Psychology

Assessment task: Essay

Word count limit: 2500 words +/- 10% (excluding references and appendices)

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General Guidance

Using Times New Roman size 12 font, double spaced, with numbered

pages. The word limits

stated for this assignment excludes the reference list at the end of the assignment but

includes all text in the main body of the assignment (including direct quotations, in-text

citations, tables). Tables and figures should not be included within your text but

separately as an Appendix.

The majority of references should come from primary sources (e.g., journal articles,

conference papers, reports, etc.) although you can also utilise area specific textbooks.

You must ensure that you use the APA style of referencing. Please indicate the word

count length at the end of your assignment.

Marking and assessment

Should be able to:

1. Delineate the major features of current theories and approaches in health

psychology with reference to related disciplines.

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2. Critically discuss the role of biological, psychological, social and economic factors

in the enhancement of health and/or the development and maintenance of illness.

3. Critically evaluate a variety of research methodologies utilized in the field of health

psychology

4. Critically evaluate the literature in the area of applied health psychology

Essay title: Health Psychology challenges the assumptions underlying the

biomedical model.

Discuss

Additional guidelines:

Introduction

 Try to set the aim of your essay-early in the beginning

 Provide a brief introduction around the area e.g. biomedical and

biopsychosocial model. Briefly describe both models.

The most dominant model in explaining the disease, was the biomedical model,

emergences of new approaches like Biopsychosocial provided a framework for

understanding causes of diseases through a Health Psychology perspective.

Discussion

 Discuss how biopsychosocial model challenges the biomedical model.

 For example: challenges of initiation of illness, progression of illness, coping

with illness, understanding of the illness, causes of illness etc.

 Provide evidence from one or different chronic health conditions

Conclusion

 Summarise all the key points of your discussion - biomedical and

biopsychosocial model.

Additional Reading

Ogden, J. (2009). Health Psychology: A textbook (4th edition). Open University Press:

London, McGraw-Hill Companies.