SUNDHEDSPSYKOLOGI

– introduktion og udvikling

Abstract

Health psychology is one of the youngest disciplines in psychology. Since health psychology was recognized as a division of the American Psychological Association in 1978 it has developed radically. In this article health psychology will be defined and distinguished from related disciplines: behavioral medicine, medical psychology and psychosomatic medicine. The basis of health psychology is the biopsychosocial model (formulated by Engell in 1977). This approach to health and disease will be discussed and related to the classical biomedical model which has dominated medicine since the Renessance. Finally it will be discussed how health psychology has developed as a discipline in its own right.