Health Psychology

Health psychology focuses on the relationship between behavior, health, and illness while trying to identify the predictors of health-compromising and health-enhancing factors. Through a dual focus on healthcare and psychology, students will examine illness identities in the German / EU context. Special emphasis will be placed on cultural differences related to quality of life, self-help, religious beliefs, alternative medicine, and rituals related to dying and death. Through an examination of the relevant literature, guest lectures and site visits, the course addresses philosophical questions about the perceptions and definitions of what it means to be “healthy” or “unhealthy” within a cultural context.