Social Psychology and Health
Full course description
This course provides insights into the main concepts of social psychology, human behaviour, and health. Our thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and actions have an effect on our health, well-being, and the choices we make concerning our health. Social psychology looks at how our thinking and actions are influenced by other people and social norms. In this course, students will learn how principles of social psychology are relevant for our health. Can social psychology explain why there are health disparities among people with a different socio-economic background? How can social psychological principles help to change someone’s attitude or behaviour? Is our health behaviour influenced by social pressure? Do you start or quit smoking because your friends tell you so? These and other questions are discussed and answered during the current course using scientific literature in the field of social psychology and health. To understand the role and application of social psychology, we will look at specific examples within the field of health promotion, health education, disease prevention, and work-related health issues. In addition, students will learn about relevant research methods within the field of social psychology and how to apply them.
This course consists of 32 class hours divided over 8 weeks. Students earn 6 ECTS credits when they obtain a passing grade. Students who need more credits can sign up for the extended course format, which includes an Independent Study Project (ISP) worth an additional 3 ECTS. The maximum number of credits that can be obtained is 9 ECTS.
Course objectives
After participating in the course students should be able to:
- Know and understand the main principles and concepts of social psychology.
- Understand the relevance of social psychology within the field of health.
- Know examples of the application of social psychology in health, such as health promotion, disease prevention, health education.
- Describe research methods used in the field of social psychology and apply it to the health field.
Prerequisites
To facilitate a fruitful learning environment a moderate level of psychology- and/or health-related knowledge is required. Hence, the course is directed towards students attending bachelor or master courses in psychology, medicine, public health science, sociology, political science, etc.
Recommended reading
The main textbook used during this course is: Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D. & Sommers, S.R. (2021). Social Psychology. Tenth Edition.
Additional literature is made freely available through our online learning environment and includes relevant scientific articles.