Abstract
Identifying features of an individual, such as age and skin color, as well as environment and economic resources, critically shapes health via biological, psychological, and social processes. As race, gender, and class politics in the United States continue to wreak havoc on the most disadvantaged in our society, an increasing need has emerged for health psychology to incorporate themes of social justice into theory, research, and practice. The authors of the textbook have excelled at achieving just that—offering the themes of health psychology within the context of our modern world in chapters that may stand alone, or in succession, and can be accessed by both undergraduate and graduate-level students.
The questions raised in each chapter are challenging, as they embody the complexity of well-being and disease. They work well as prompts for written work or discussion. A major strength of the text is that it allows the reader to challenge assumptions about health, disease, and behaviors by providing research-based evidence and perhaps the single most comprehensive research methods chapter written for this purpose. While other health psychology texts have had a narrow focus on research methods, often only highlighting those whose historical use has proven problematic, this text covers research methods in one encyclopedic chapter, covering salient research methods terms, designs, collection modalities, and typologies from A to Z.
Of particular interest for those using the text to teach health psychology from a critical perspective is the authors’ use of both professional and lay perspectives. In several instances throughout the text, the authors demonstrate great care when describing individual and intrapsychic variables related to health behavior. In one instance, when describing body image, the authors point out a gap in research on males. They provide a comprehensive overview on the current, while limited, research on the topic of male body image and health behavior (e.g., body hair, penis size satisfaction) while covering more widely researched topics such as thinness ideals for women and exercise. The text covers topics pertaining to women’s health, and these are woven throughout the chapters. After introducing gender in the first section as a macro influence on health, the authors present an historical account of disparities between men, women, and life expectancy while explaining to the reader the impact of gender roles, mortality versus morbidity for chronic illnesses affecting both men and women, and the roles played by poverty, violence, and masculinity stereotypes that shaped the said differential health outcomes.
Another way in which the text promises utility for critical health psychology educators is the strength of sections related to race, culture, and health. The authors take a global perspective on disease, emphasizing the importance of measurement. Cross-cultural studies suggest both similarities and differences in health behaviors across the world. Specific to the United States, race-related concepts such as the effects of discrimination and skin color on health are covered thoroughly. Readers can applaud the theme of social justice woven throughout the text. Health as a universal right is introduced early in the book, while topics of stigma and racism are demonstrated with case studies. The human development approach emphasizes the needs of the individual. The authors provide an “onion framework” similar to other ecological models, which works well graphically. The content of the framework, however, is not consistent with the book’s organization, which might prove difficult for undergraduate readers who need structure when complex material is covered.
The text would work well in developing and implementing a course on health psychology or assigning chapters to be read independently. Both educators and students have much to gain from adopting this text—empirical, theoretical, and pragmatic concepts are well addressed, so that readers gain comfort with the complexity and interdisciplinarity of the field of health psychology.