The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology

The flaws in today's healthcare systems and practices are well-documented: millions remain far from optimal health due to a variety of psychological and social factors; large numbers of patients do not fully cooperate with medical advice; errors in medical decision-making -- some stemming from flaws in interpersonal relations -- regularly lead to needless suffering and death. Further, the effects of emotions, personality, and motivation on healing are not wellincorporated into traditional medical care.The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology compiles the most relevant scholarship from psychology, medicine, and public health to offer athorough and authoritative model of the biopsychosocial approach to health. A collection of international contributors addresses all relevant concepts in this model, including its applications to health promotion, health behavior change, and treatment.

"Howard Friedman has done an outstanding job of assembling the leading voices in health psychology. The chapters are comprehensive, thoughtful, and beautifully written. In its entirety, this handbook is a powerful statement about the breadth and depth of the science that now defines the field of health psychology. This handbook will be a critical resource for students, teachers, researchers, and practitioners across the health sciences, and now that healthbehaviors are recognized as leading causes of death, it also should also be in the hands of all policy makers concerned with the health of the public."--Susan Folkman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco"The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology is the most comprehensive review of the major topics in behavioral medicine and the psychology of health on the market today. Howard Friedman has assembled some of the field's most creative investigators to contribute chapters that are comprehensive, cutting edge in their coverage, and yet highly readable. This is a volume that should be on the bookshelf of every investigator, and it would make an excellent text forupper-level undergraduates and graduate students in psychology and allied health professions. A tour de force!"--Peter Salovey, Ph.D., Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology and University Provost, Yale University"This handbook is an exceptionally fine specimen of the genre. A prolific writer-researcher, Friedman is also an excellent editor; the contributions herein are focused, well written, and full of current and classic references, but never too long... Highly recommended." -- D. S. Dunn, Moravian College, CHOICE

Howard S. Friedman, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Riverside. Read more about his research interests and background on his website: html

The flaws in today's healthcare systems and practices are well-documented: millions remain far from optimal health due to a variety of psychological and social factors; large numbers of patients do not fully cooperate with medical advice; errors in medical decision-making -- some stemming from flaws in interpersonal relations -- regularly lead to needless suffering and death. Further, the effects of emotions, personality, and motivation on healing are not well incorporated into traditional medical care.The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology compiles the most relevant scholarship from psychology, medicine, and public health to offer a thorough and authoritative model of the biopsychosocial approach to health. A collection of international contributors addresses all relevant concepts in this model, including its applications to health promotion, health behavior change, and treatment.

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