Mind Health, and Behavior
Psy 100
Tong Fang
In the Navajo concept of hozho, beauty, peace of mind, goodness, and health are
all inextricably intertwined. The natural world, beauty in the arts, and even family
relationships strive to achieve harmony. In the Navajo world, illness is considered the
result of disharmony while tribal ceremonies seek to restore health and banish illness,
family members work together with the sick person to achieve hozho. He or she is
never given over to stranger experts in some unfamiliar hospital for long periods of
time, as happens in our society. Nor is there any implication that the individual is
responsible for the illness.
Today health psychology is one of the most innovative and exciting fields with in
psychology. It is now believed that there are at least four ways in which psychology
and medical problems are related. First, some organic malfunctioning or tissue
damage may be psychogenic that is, the illness is directly caused by an individuals
psychological state of anxiety, tension, or depression peptic ulcers can be causes by
excessive anxiety. So can hypertension, just a few. In the second category of mindbody ailments are all the complaints which patients bring to physicians that turn out to
have no apparent organic basis headaches, exhaustion, and weakness. Once the
problems are resolved, the symptoms will go away. Third, psychological factors can
also work indirectly by weakening, or strengthening, our resistance to disease. And
lastly, there are the psychological factors that help cause unhealthful behavior, which
in causes turn illness.
Stress is defined scientifically as the pattern of responses an organism makes to
events that disturb its equilibrium, attack its ability to cope, or exceed its ability to
cope. The way in which can event is subjectively perceived and interpreted is often
more important than the objective nature of the event itself. One persons stress is
anothers exciting challenge.
If stress is inevitable-and I think it is then we have to learn effective coping
strategies to deal with it. And that is where health psychologists try to help. They are
especially concerned about the practicalities of health. They work at improving health
care, they consult on government policies, and they devise strategies to prevent illness
and promote health. But ultimately it is also up to each of us to stay healthy and to
develop lifestyles that encourage wellness. And whether you do or you do not is going
to be large part a question of psychology- your psychology.
A revolution in public health has effectively reduced the terror of these illness.
Today the major cause of death is lifestyle heart disease, cancer, cirrhosis of the liver,
accidents, suicide. They kill us because we smoke too much, drink too much, drive
too fast, work too hard.
Throughout this problem, we have seen how health psychologists apply the tools
of psychology to practical problems of understanding and improving our health.
Health, mind and behavior are three significant parts in our life. They are be closely
contact each other. We must know what the relationship and what is the meaning.