Duffy/Atwater © 2005 Prentice Hall CHAPTER 5 A Healthier You.

Duffy/Atwater © 2005 Prentice Hall

CHAPTER 5

A Healthier You


CHAPTER SUMMARY

Body Image

How We Feel About Our Bodies

Our Ideal Body

Body Image, Age, and

Psychological Well-Being


CHAPTER SUMMARY CONT’D

Psychological Factors And Physical Illness

The Immune System

Personality

Lifestyle Choices

Environmental Issues



Coping With Illness

Noticing and Interpreting

Symptoms

Seeking Help

Adhering to

Treatment



Promoting Wellness

Taking Charge of Your Own Health

Eating Sensibly

Getting Enough Sleep

Keeping Physically Fit

Finding Social Support


Body Image

Introduction

Body Image refers to the mental image we form of our own bodies.

Many people lack a clear image of their own bodies and consequently do not take good care of themselves.

Awareness of the insides of their bodies is even less well formed.

Some of us suffer depersonalization (or unembodiment), the sense of not being intimately attached to our bodies.


How We Feel About Our Bodies

Body image is part of self-concept (covered in Chapter 4).

American society places much emphasis on appearance; thus many Americans are unhappy with their bodies.

Women are less satisfied with their bodies than are men.

In fact, overall dissatisfaction with our bodies is increasing over time, perhaps due to many of us being overweight.

The media, parental attitudes, and teasing by others are generally cited as causes for our dislike of our bodies.


Our Ideal Body

Our ideal body is the body we would like to have.

Every society throughout history has had different standards of beauty.

In American society, the standards are very narrowly defined, i.e. thinness, a symmetrical face, and youth.

The standards for each sex differ, such that men and women misperceive what the opposite sex desires.


Body Image, Age, and Psychological Well-being

Our concern about appearance lessens with age.

This may be fortunate, because as people age, they tend

to gain weight.

We might expect that older people

dislike their bodies, but this

conjecture is not supported by research.


Psychological Factors And Physical Illness

The Immune System

The immune system is a complex surveillance system that defends our bodies by identifying and destroying various foreign invaders.

The brain and the circulatory system are vital parts of the immune system.

The exact relationship between mind and body is unknown; however, psychological factors such as stress might weaken the immune system and make us more susceptible to illness.


Personality

Certain personality traits (Goodwin & Engstron, 2002) might

well be associated with perceptions of good health.

The traits are openness to experience, extroversion,

and conscientiousness.

Emotional instability is associated

with perceptions of poor health.


Personality Cont’d

Another important personality trait related to actual

health is self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is the belief that

we can organize and execute

various actions required to

produce given attainments

or outcomes.



People high in self-efficacy:

Feel they have control over their own health

Are motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle

Participate in more preventive health measures

Generally better follow health directives given by professionals

http://www.cancer.gov/CancerInformation/WhatYouNeedToKnowAboutSkinCancer



We can develop a sense of self-efficacy by

Monitoring our own health behaviors

Setting short-term, attainable goals

Enlisting social support or help from others

Imitating others who maintain a healthy lifestyle

We must guard against emphasizing personality so much that people are made to feel guilty when they fall ill.


Lifestyle Choices

Many health choices we make (i.e. lifestyle choices) affect our health and longevity.

Obesity, smoking tobacco, and using alcohol or illicit drugs are but a few of the lifestyle factors that influence our health.

Unlike causes of death in other countries (e.g. famine), lifestyle choices kill more Americans than any other factor.

This is unfortunate, because lifestyle choices are almost completely within our personal control.


Obesity

Obesity is an excessive amount of body fat, usuallydefined as exceeding the desirable weight for one’s height, build, and age by 20 percent or more.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of illness anddeath from diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, coronaryheart disease, kidney and gallbladder disorders, as well assome cancers.

Obesity is currently eclipsingtobacco use as the leading cause of death in America.


Obesity Cont’d

Psychological and physiological factors probably contribute

to obesity.

Losing weight involves reducing calorie intake as well as

exercising more.

Self-mastery also plays a role. Individuals

who feel they have control over what,

where, and when they eat more successfully

manage their weight after participation

in weight-loss programs.


Tobacco

Tobacco abuse is the abuse of tobacco to such an extent that heart, respiratory, and other health-related problems develop.

Tobacco abuse remains a leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

People today are more aware than in the past of the dangers of smoking and using tobacco products.


Tobacco Abuse Cont’d

Smoking tobacco is a difficult habit to break.

Other activities, such as talking on the phone or drinking coffee, become conditioned to (paired with) smoking, reminding the smoker to reach for another cigarette.

Withdrawal from nicotine produces unpleasant symptoms.

Not surprisingly many former smokers return to the habit, that is, they relapse.


From: http://www.4girls.gov/4girls.cfm?page=substance/tobacco.htm


Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Dependence on a psychoactive substance is what defines alcohol and drug abuse.

Many Americans report using the “socially acceptable” substance - alcohol.

Alcohol is a major health hazard in terms of highway deaths, kidney and liver damage, poor nutrition, and myriad other health problems.


Alcohol and Drug Abuse Cont’d

Drug abuse can occur with prescription drugs (e.g. pain killers) or illicit drugs (e.g. cocaine).

Abusers (drugs or alcohol) build a tolerance for the substance and eventually require higher doses.

Upon cessation, withdrawal is an unpleasant consequence that may be a factor in relapse.

To prevent relapse after treatment, health professionals suggest that former abusers avoid high risk situations (e.g. parties where the substance is available) that may promote relapse.


Environmental Issues

Both the built environment and the psychological environment can be toxic for us.

Built Environment:

Air, water, and land pollution are

potentially toxic factors in the built

environment that surrounds us

where we live and work.

http://photos.orr.noaa.gov/


Environmental Issues Cont’d

Psychological Environment:

Psychological (and social) environments may lead to health problems and include situations that are

ambiguous – a cause is not readily evident

uncontrollable – the person has little control

unpredictable – an individual cannot predict the outcome

unresolvable – no solution is apparent or forthcoming


Coping with Illness

Noticing and Interpreting Symptoms

People vary on how attentive they are to various signs of illness.

Hypochondriacs are people who habitually complain of unfounded ailments or exhibit undue fear of illness.

Health can be endangered by completely ignoring symptoms, however.


Noticing and Interpreting Symptoms Cont’d

Many of us cope with potential illness by employing one of the following strategies:

Avoidance – minimizing or denying symptoms

Confrontation – dealing directly with the symptoms

Downward comparison – comparing our health to others who are worse off than we are

Be aware that people from different cultures may notice and manage symptoms differently.


Seeking Help

Many people wait until their symptoms are extreme to seek help.

Men and women differ on this dimension, with women more likely to seek professional health care.

The professional health care provider also plays a vital role in our willingness to seek help.

For example, women physicians spend more time with patients, tend to encourage two-way communi-cation, and explain medical terms better.


Adhering to Treatment

As many as one-half of all people do not follow or complete prescribed treatments.

Among the many reasons are dissatisfaction with the health professional, misunderstanding of the illness or the instructions, and anxiety about drug dependence.

How the instructions are framed

also plays a significant role:


Adhering to Treatment Cont’d

A positively framed message (about potential gains) works best for promoting preventive practices.

EXAMPLE: If you exercise, you will live longer.

A negatively framed message (potential costs) works best for facilitating detection of symptoms.

EXAMPLE: If you don’t quit eating candy and donuts, you’ll become obese.


Promoting Wellness

Taking Charge of Your Own Health

Key factors in staying well include:

Understanding how your body works

Managing stress effectively

Knowing how the mind and body interact


Key factors in staying well cont’d:

Monitoring your own health periodically

Getting periodic medical checkups

Keeping your own medical records

Knowing the health risks of lifestyle, heredity, and environment

Participating actively with you doctor in your own health care


Eating Sensibly

Eating sensibly involves both the

kinds of food and how much food we eat.

A well-balanced diet includes adequate amounts of various food groups:

Drinking enough water is also essential.


Specifics of the Food Pyramid;


Getting Enough Sleep

Without adequate sleep, people make more errors, tend to fall asleep involuntarily, and may interrupt their otherwise normal sleep patterns.

The average adult obtains about 7 hours of sleep, although everyone differs in how much sleep is actually needed.

Babies require lots more

sleep than do adults.


Getting Enough Sleep Cont’d

We also need to dream, just as Freud suggested.

REM sleep is dream sleep

NREM sleep is deeper, more restful sleep

Scientists are still unsure about why we dream or what dreams signify.

REM and NREM

sleep vary over

the course of

night.


Keeping Physically Fit

Physical fitness is our ability to function efficiently and effectively, including both health-related and skill-related fitness components.

Despite knowing that exercise is beneficial, 60% of Americans do not exercise regularly while 25% do not exercise at all.

The benefits of physical exercise are enormous:

Reduced risk of early death

Reduced risk of a number of diseases

Improved or elevated mood

Enhanced performance in daily life


Keeping Physically Fit Cont’d

To improve your fitness:

Identify your own personal fitness needs

Select personalized exercises to increase enjoyment

Vary your fitness routines to prevent boredom

Exercise regularly on a daily basis if possible

Evaluate your routines and modify them accordingly

Find someone to exercise with you

Duffy/Atwater © 2005 Prentice Hall CHAPTER 5 A Healthier You.

Documents

actual health

circulatory system

mental image

clear image

bodiesbody image

people age

perceptions of good

sense of selfefficacy