MCAT Psych/Sociology Comprehensive Study Guide | 100% Correct | Verified | 2024 Version

Biopsychosocial approach to health and illness - Illness is determined by a variety of influences, rather than a single cause(NOT just biological factors). . The causes and effects of illness can be examined at multiple levels in the life of an individual, and no single level provides the whole picture. Collecting info about psychosocial context is key to the understanding of physical health and illness. How would a BPS approach look at a kidney vs how a BM approach would? - BPS- treat the alcoholism but also look at the persons living situation and stress level BM- would just treat the alcoholism Biomedical approach to health and illness - Disease is studied by examining only the biological factors of illness, neglecting contributing factors of psychological life and sociological context. ex- looking just at cardiac at muscle and genetic factors as to why someone has a heart attack and not looking at diet, exercise, stress at work what two types of therapy does the biopsychsocial model like to do? - direct therapy-treatment that acts directly on the individual (medicine) indirect therapy- aims to increase social support by educating and empowering family and friends Models - Provide an approximation (physical/conceptual representation) of a scientific phenomenon that cannot be observed directly Theories - Provides the conceptual framework for understanding objects of studyexample of framework? - How people behave in groups and why they do What else does a theory describe? - Explain the results of a study and help design new studies What are the two categories that sociological theories can be placed into? - 1. Macrosociologyfocuses on broad social structures that affect society. Large scale perspective, looking at big phenomena that affect big portion of population. Social structures and institutions, whole civilizations/populations. Looking for patterns and effects the big picture has on lives on small groups. Broad social trends in cities and statistical data. Deals with matters like poverty, war, health care, world economy 2. Microsociology- focuses on the smaller scale of social interaction between individuals Face to face interactions, families, schools, other social interactions. Interpretive analysis of society, looking at sample of society and how individual interactions woul