be useful for individuals who are about to
experience similar procedures.
coronary heart diseaseA disease that involves
damage to the heart muscle and is due to deficient
blood supply.
extinctionThe elimination of an undesired
conditioned response by creating a situation in
which the conditioned stimulus is no longer
associated with the environmental stimulus that
initially generated the response.
health behavior modelA theoretical model
proposing that the relationship between a hostile
predisposition and health is mediated by the
performance (or lack of performance) of health
behaviors rather than by the physiological aspects
of stress.
health psychologyA specialty area within
psychology that applies the tools of the discipline
to the prevention of illness, the enhancement and
maintenance of health, the identification of the
correlates of illness and health, the treatment of
individuals in the health care system, and the
formulationofhealthcarepolicy.
operant conditioningThe principle whereby
behaviors that are reinforced tend to recur,
whereas behaviors that are not reinforced or are
punished tend to decrease in frequency.
preventionIn health psychology, the idea that by
performing a few simple behaviors consistently
(e.g., exercising, avoiding smoking, using seat
belts), people may dramatically reduce their risk
for health problems and may significantly reduce
health care costs.
procedural informationDescriptions of what
will actually occur when one undergoes a stressful
medical procedure.
protection motivation theoryAmodelof
health behavior that posits that behavior is a
function of both threat appraisal and coping
appraisal.
psychosomatic medicineA field (popular in the
1940s and 1950s but currently out of vogue) that is
based on the assumption that certain illnesses and
disease states are caused by psychological factors.
Some adherents believed that each“psychoso-
matic”illness corresponded to a specific uncon-
scious conflict that predisposed the patient to that
illness.
relapse preventionA range of strategies for
preventing relapse, usually in the context of
treating the addictive behaviors. Patients are
directed to anticipate problem situations and are
taught coping skills to navigate their way through
these situations without engaging in the undesired
behavior. Or in the event of a lapse, patients are
taught how to respond so as to prevent a total
relapse.
relaxationA state of lowered anxiety, stress, and
physiological arousal. Relaxation may be induced
in a number of ways, and it appears to be effective
in the treatment of a number of health concerns.
self-efficacyPeople’s beliefs about their capacity
to control or gain mastery over the events that
affectthem.Thisconstructplaysaprominentrole
in most social-cognitive models of health
behavior.
self-monitoring recordA record often
employed in cognitive-behavioral treatments on
which individuals monitor the occurrence of a
certain emotional response, including the situation
that triggered it, the strength of the emotions, any
physical or behavioral reactions, and their thinking
processes at the time. By examining the data
collected, the therapist may draw connections
between certain situations and the patient’s
thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and may
ultimately tailor specific treatment interventions.
sensory informationDescriptions of the sensa-
tions that will be encountered when one under-
goes a stressful medical procedure.
social supportThe number and quality of one’s
social relationships. Several studies have shown
that social support is positively associated with
better health outcomes.
sympathetic nervous systemThe portion of the
nervous system that is responsible for mobilizing
body resources in urgent situations. ProlongedHEALTH PSYCHOLOGY ANDBEHAVIORAL MEDICINE 511