The human mind and body are inextricably linked and can have an impact on a person's health and well-being. Human behavior is of the utmost importance to psychologists. Psychology is primarily concerned with the reasons why people behave the way they do. Psychologists conduct extensive research on human characteristics such as emotion, learning, intelligence, and personality development, as well as other factors such as environment, nature, and how individuals influence certain groups and affect human health behavior.

Human society is often referred to as a social system. Sociology intends to play an important role in comprehending various health-related issues. The idea that social factors play a role in physical health and well-being is not a new one. Sociologists investigate how social forces can promote or exacerbate health and illness, as well as the reasons why some social groups suffer more than others.

There is an inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and unhealthy lifestyle components such as physical inactivity, tobacco use, and poor nutrition. The motivation for healthy behavior is influenced by socioeconomic status. Lower socioeconomic status groups have fewer reasons to forego short-term unhealthy pleasures in exchange for long-term gains in health and longevity. Although all socioeconomic status groups have similar health behavior desires, the low socioeconomic status groups have a more difficult time achieving their goals. The comparison of socioeconomic status groups also has an impact on healthcare consumption.

Classic concepts, such as health norms, values, and attitudes, should continue to be studied by health sociologists. Medical sociology is primarily concerned with the social determinants of disease. Social causations entail both direct and indirect (social) disease exposure. A medical doctor will simply note that a patient has HIV, whereas a sociologist is more interested in the patient's sexual network because HIV can be acquired through sexual interaction with others in society. This sexual relationship pattern is a social determinant.

With the advancement of health technology, new ethical, social, and economic dimensions of the human body have emerged.

 

 

Health psychology is concerned with lifestyle and individual behavior that has an impact on a person's physical well-being. The primary goal of psychologists is to improve health, treat diseases and prevent them, identify risk factors associated with health, improve healthcare systems, and analyze public opinion regarding health. Psychologists apply their principles in various health areas such as stress management, cholesterol control, quitting smoking and tobacco use, and encouraging healthy practices such as exercise and regular health checkups.

The growing recognition in developed countries that psychosocial stress, as well as lifestyle factors, contribute to morbidity and mortality from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other injuries has led to the development of health psychology. Health psychology is a branch of psychology that employs psychological knowledge to maintain health and prevent illness.

Every human goes through the same stages of development, and the path they take in life is determined by the decisions they make. Erik Erickson's human development stages illustrate this well. According to open-ended theories, humans are inherently different and respond negatively or positively based on external factors such as social, biological, and psychological influences.

 

Psychology can be viewed in a variety of ways. Consider the topic of aggression, for example.

• A professional who focuses on biology would investigate how the brain and nervous system influence aggressive behavior.

• A professional who emphasizes a behavioral perspective would investigate how environmental factors reinforce aggressive behavior.

• A cross-cultural professional might consider how cultural and social influences contribute to aggressive or violent behavior.

Sociology and psychology have long been recognized as important components of the multidisciplinary health care system. They are increasingly acquiring new roles and forming collaborations with other fields such as social policy and anthropology to conduct a more in-depth study of public health behavior and related issues. Sociologists and psychologists emphasize the importance of health education and promotion that is based on behavioral change techniques to reduce risk due to lifestyle changes and manage chronic diseases.

 

 

PIAGET’S CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

Cognitive development, according to Piaget (1959), is a series of stages, each with distinct qualitative differences in thinking. This development is supported by genetic maturation and thus has a stronger connection to 'nature' than 'nurture.' Piaget was a 'constructivist,' believing that children actively 'build' their development. Mental schema (representations, sets of perceptions, ideas, and/or actions that go together) develops first through sensory-motor activity (thought is seen to develop from action) and then through language.

 

 

Theory of Behaviorism:

This is concerned with the stimuli, or environmental factors, that influence the response that is observable behavior. This includes classical conditioning, or learning by associating, operant conditioning, or learning from the outcomes of behavior.

 

 

Cognitive Theories

Cognitive theories of psychology are focused on internal states, such as motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention. Such theories strive to explain different mental processes including how the mind processes information.

 

 

 

 Sociological Perspectives to explain cultural and ethical issues in health and social care

Sociology's historical focus is on social problems in human society. Health issues, crime, deviance, violence, poverty, inequality, population issues, delinquency, and institutional instability are examples of social problems. Social forces such as modernization and industrialization heralded the start of unprecedented social change, particularly in the early eighteenth century. As a result of changes in production relations, this social change caused a slew of issues. The industrial revolution resulted in new types of production systems, community relations, migration, urbanization, and, most notably, new types of employer-employee relations. The family as an economic unit was demolished as a result of industrialization. This was a massive shift in the social system, and as a result, new social problems such as unemployment, poverty, child labor, and gender discrimination emerged.

 

 

 

Current ethical issues in health and social care

High ethical standards are necessary for healthcare. These standards fall under the umbrella of health or medical ethics, the field of applied ethics that is concerned with moral decision-making applied to medical practices and policies.

 Patients, families, and healthcare professionals face ethical and legal decisions every day. These difficult quandaries may involve medical treatments, practices, hospital management, and other issues that arise in the healthcare industry. Ethical issues in healthcare can necessitate an immediate response, such as making decisions for patients who are unable to do so, or they can necessitate a lengthy, deliberate decision, such as the debate over the right to abortion or assisted suicide.

 

 

1. Patient Confidentiality and Privacy

One of the most important ethical and legal issues in the field of healthcare is the protection of private patient information. Conversations between a doctor and a patient are strictly private, as is information about a person's medical condition. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, specifies what information can be released and to whom.

 

2. Relationships

Sexual relationships between medical practitioners and patients or between medical staff are strictly forbidden at a healthcare facility. Sexual harassment can be harmful to all involved, including the facility, so the code of ethics should be explicit about this.

 

3. Disease Transmission

The recent global Ebola virus outbreak has renewed emphasis on healthcare providers' right to protect themselves from communicable diseases, whether through direct or indirect contact with an infected patient. When a patient's medical history is not provided to the medical staff, ethical and legal issues arise.

 

4. Issues Concerning the End-Of-Life

Patients who are nearing the end of their lives may have specific wishes about how they want their lives to end. Families may struggle with the decision to remove a loved one's life support. Healthcare practitioners and clinical leaders must be prepared to deal with end-of-life issues as well as issues that may arise when dealing with elderly patients who are unable to make rational decisions on their own.

 

5. Malpractice and Negligence

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a study published in the BMJ journal. Despite the decreasing rate of malpractice suits, patients who are affected by it may never recover. For others, it may take years

 

 

 

References

• Brannon, L., Feist, J. and Brannon, L. 2000.Study guide for health psychology: an introduction to behavior and health, fourth edition. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.

• Brym, R. J. and Lie, J. 2010.Sociology. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

• Pampel, F. C., Krueger, P. M. and Denney, J. T. 2010. Socioeconomic disparities in health behaviors.Annual review of sociology, 36 p. 349.

• Fonagy P. The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapies: An update. World Psychiatry. 2015;14(2):137–150. doi:10.1002/wps.20235

• Malone JC. Did John B. Watson really "find" behaviorism?. Behav Anal. 2014;37(1):1–12. doi:10.1007/s40614-014-0004-3

• Glenberg AM, Witt JK, Metcalfe, J. From the revolution to embodiment: 25 years of cognitive psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2013;8(5):573-585. doi:10.1177/1745691613498098

• American Psychological Association. Biological psychology. 

• Cosmides L, Tooby, J. Evolutionary psychology: a new perspective on cognition and motivation. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013;64:201-229. doi:10.1146/annual.psych.121208.131628

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