Learning objectives
The course is aimed at providing tools and interpretative concepts useful to deepen the concept of health,meant as well-being.
In the first part of the course, through the analysis of the most recent contributions in psychology, we will explore the development of the approach to health and disease as an " overall well-being of the person in a socio-ecological context".
In the second part, the course is aimed at analyzing the person's active role, not only in the maintenance or re-establishment of the health, but also in the (individual and collective) efforts for the improvement through the intervention on themselves and on the living environment, by analyzing behaviors and lifestyles. In addition, the various disease management modes (coping) will be examined, by analyzing them in the general theoretical perspective of stress responses.
Finally, it will be deepened the role of emotions in the person welfare in order to promote the personal growth and the psychological and physical health.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
1. Health, well-being (psychological, individual, social), quality of life: towards an integrated concept in care.
2. The different explanatory models of well-being:
• risk behaviors and protective self behaviors, beliefs, attitudes and intentions;
• the link amongst stress, health and disease: strategies and coping resources.
3. Well-being and emotions: emotion regulation and affective dysregulation in health and disease.
Full programme
In the first part of the course, lectures will deal with the concept of health and it will be analyzed the evolution in the context of the main psychological models through the introduction of the concept of well-being, meant as the overcoming of the disease and health conception as distinct conditions. It also introduces the main explanatory models of health (subjective well-being, social well-being, of Ryff welfare model, the optimal operation model).
The second series of lectures will be dedicated to deepen the process of achieving the well-being through the implementation of strategies to face up to the threats to health (coping), the building of skills and activation of personal and social resources.
The third series of lectures will investigate the relationship between emotions and physical conditions, with particular attention to the management of emotions as a key component of effective adaptation to the disease. In this perspective, the content of the lessons will focus on the analysis of emotions in their affective valence towards the attribution of meaning to the experiences and, therefore, not only as person operation indicators.
Bibliography
Andreoli V, La nuova disciplina del bendessere. Vivere il meglio possibile, Marsilio, Venezia, 2016.
Bertini M., Psicologia della salute, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano, 2012.
Braibanti P., Ripensare la salute. Per un riposizionamento critico nella psicologia della salute, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2015.
Delle Fave A., Bassi A., Psicologia e salute. L’esperienza di utenti e operatori, UTET, Torino, 2010.
De Piccoli N., Salute e qualità della vita nella società del benessere, Carocci, Roma, 2014.
Guerra G., Psicosociologia dell'ospedale. Analisi organizzativa e processi di cambiamento, Carocci, Roma, 2004.
Marhaba S. (a cura di), Salute, ben-essere e soggettività, McGraw-Hill, Milano, 1999.
Zani B., Cicognani E., Psicologia della salute, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2010.
Articles and / or other selected texts will be announced at the time of the course.
Lecture notes by the teacher.
Teaching methods
Classes with participatory approach and the support of audiovisual materials.
Classroom discussion with students.
Group exercises.
Assessment methods and criteria
Learning will be assessed by oral examination to test knowledge and understanding of the discipline, as well as to verify the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in health care settings.
Other information
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