Psychology and Health Problems

Psychology and Health Problems

PSY-210

• Summarize the multi-factorial model and how it relates to the diagnosis of illnesses.

The multi-factorial model shows that there are many variables that can affect one’s health. The model lists the many factors that that play a part in determining a person’s health. These are separated into categories such as biological, environmental, behavior, sociocultural, personality, and stressor factors. Examples of biological factors that can be examined to determine causes of illnesses are things such as pathogens people are exposed to, inoculations they receive, and any injuries they might have sustained. These factors can be taken into consideration along with unavoidable factors such as age, gender, and any family history of disease. It is widely believed that if family members have heart problems or cancer, they have genes that make them predisposed towards developing the same problems.

This model also points out the many environmental factors that can affect one’s health. These include things that most people might not expect when thinking of diagnosing illness or psychological issues such as the architectural features of the buildings that they frequent. This can include aesthetic design, safety features like injury-resistant design of rounded corners on walls, tables, etc. and railing height on stairways and balconies. Environmental factors also include the quality of the water that one uses, the levels of pollution or radiation they might be exposed to and whether there are adequate sanitation services. In addition, looking at the problems of ozone depletion, global warming and natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, drought, tornados, etc, contribute to the diagnosis of illness. When people are exposed to these factors, their health can be adversely affected. For example, after a natural disaster, people have a higher level of anxiety which can lead to physical problems such as chest pains, high...