Abstract
Two lay articles on health psychology are critiqued. While both are informative in the sense that they provide the reader with apparently new concepts and insights that they can easily relate to and apply in their daily lives, they somewhat lack the credibility of an article from more specialized publications. While their insights are readily applicable, they also lack the benefit of alternative explanations of certain facts that are presumed to be solid facts.

From the Paper
"The first article "How Americans Are Living Dangerously" tells about the ways Americans perceive risks and the biopsychological underpinnings of such. The article goes on to relate our risk assessments to the balance between the more developed, rational cortex to the more primitive, emotion-driven amygdala. Concepts that the writer use such as "dread factor," "optimism bias" and "probability neglect" are introduced into the article. This is done in order to further explain our propensity to misinterpret threatening situations, ignore very prominent threats while emphasizing trivial, yet vivid ones and distorting them in the process."

Tags:health, psychology, reaction

Abstract
This paper reviews two articles: "How Americans Are Living Dangerously", relating to how Americans perceive risks and the second article "The Science of Anxiety" dealing with the phenomenon of anxiety and its effects. The author explains that both articles were written for a readership of lay people unfamiliar with the field of health psychology, and points out that although the articles are informative, they lack credibility of an article from more specialized publications.

From the Paper
"The article is comprehensive in that it compiles the opinions of many experts in risk assessment. It is a multispecialty field, comprised of neuroscientists, psychologists, risk consultants and other academicians in various fields related to risk. Direct quotations from these experts are used often to emphasize points made by the author. The article is written in a type of "inverted triangle" format used such that it attracts attention before discussion of facts in a logical manner such that the reader is engaged by both anecdotes and facts, interwoven to provide a flow that all readers are accustomed to. Technical jargon is explained by examples and are easily comprehendible, perhaps more so than through the use of the strictly scientific (but otherwise precise) definition. This is in stark contrast to the structured format adhered to by the academe, particularly journal articles. This is understandable, since laymen reading this article can absorb the essence of the article rather than details which may be of trivial significance to them.
"While the article is informative and presents much insight into the concept of risk, the article's target audience is left with "just enough" information to be able to process and assimilate it. While the information it provides is indeed useful in promoting well-being, there is a superficial essence to it. This is understandable, since anyone with a more formal educational background would have the tendency to scrutinize this - and any - article relevant to his field of study. In this case, while facts are presented on after the other, there is an unsettling paucity of alternative, negating or even contradictory explanations."

Tags:biopsychological, assessment, scientific, depression

Abstract
This paper explains how unhealthy environments can effect you and what to do when these things happen. This paper is based on an article by authors Taylor and Repetti called:" What is an unhealthy environment and how does it get under the skin?" This paper is a summary of the article and talks of different circumstances dealing with unhealthy environments which could severely effect one's health.

From the Paper
"According to Taylor and Repetti, unhealthy environments can have several effects on you and the atmospheres that surround you on a daily basis. Furthermore, these unhealthy environments can cause diseases of lifestyle such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease as well as chronic illness such as health behaviors."

Tags:chronic, disease, environments, family, health, lifestyle, mental, psychology, socioeconomic, status, stress, unhealthy, workplace

Abstract
This paper summarizes the findings of three recent articles in the journal Health Psychology, focusing on the issue of whether interventions can prompt people to make healthier choices about their own behaviors.

Abstract
The paper offers a brief history of the clinical psychology field and its evolution over the years. The paper looks at the role of research and statistics in clinical psychology and explains the main difference between clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals.

Outline:
History of Clinical Psychology
Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology
Research and Statistics
Mental Health Professions
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Psychology grew rapidly in the 20th century after the foundation of the American Psychological Association in 1892, but it was not until 1909 that the organization gave clinical psychology a section of its own. Because of clinical psychology having strong ties with modern day medicine and the scientific method, it is a branch that is always changing and evolving. As scientists come up with new psychotropic drugs to assist mentally ill patients to live fuller and more normal lives, it is the clinical psychologists that must keep up to date on their research and decide if the new drugs are appropriate for their patients. Modern research in the field of neuroscience and medicine are continually coming up with new discoveries about the human brain and the various connections to behavior, thought, and emotions. Since the field of science is always evolving, clinical psychologists must follow suit and embrace the scientific advances as more ways for them to help their clinical patients. Keeping clinical psychology as an applied scientific approach to psychology and continuing to practice psychotherapy have been two of the main reason that the clinical psychologists have split from the American Psychological Association many times since 1909. Despite the differences in opinions, the clinical psychologists have always gone back to the APA and the field of clinical psychology has grown tremendously and continues to grow today (Plante, 2005)."

Tags:mental, health, emotions, behaviors, cognition

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the case of Mary, a female of Aboriginal descent, who is 29 years of age and in generally good physical condition. The writer notes that Mary does have some problems with her weight, which is often in considerable flux, and is concerned about diabetes. In addition, the writer points out that Mary also possesses an inherited genetic disability that runs in her family. This paper approaches the health profile of Mary from a multidimensional perspective. The writer concludes that Mary's health profile reveals not only the importance of a multi-dimensional bio-psychosocial approach to health, but also the extraordinary degree to which psychological, biological and social factors overlap each other as primary determinants of her state of health as revealed in the health profile.

Outline:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Conclusion
Appendix

From the Paper
"Eating and weight are issues of prominent concern in Mary's life. These concerns are associated with her concern about diabetes given her Aboriginal heritage, as noted above. However, they are also connected to family history concerns as well as personal body image problems in youth. She recognizes this is a socialized model of beauty as being equated with extreme thinness that she has inherited from society. Nonetheless, however, Mary is committed to weight reduction through dieting and exercise. It must be noted, however, that her weight has often been in flux due to her admitted habit of "binge eating" on occasion to cope with severe stress or depression."

Tags:bio-psychosocial, weight, health, profile

Abstract
This in-depth paper explores Maslow's career as a trained experimental and quantitative psychologist who rebelled against the current model of abnormal psychology and began to investigate normal individuals for aspects of mental health. This paper also discusses Maslow's critical view of Sigmund Freud's theories. During his career Maslow studied great figures in history including: Abraham Lincoln, Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi while he concentrated on the healthy aspects of the human psyche.
His theory of hierarchical needs and the concept of self-actualization arose out of this historical investigation.
Topics covered in this report include:
A Short History of Psychology
Maslow's Rebellion Against Freud, Watson and Skinner
Maslow's Emphasis on the Healthy Personality
The Hierarchy of Needs
Peak Experiences Defined
Maslow's Research on Self Actualizing Personalities
Maslow and Management - a Renaissance of Third Force Psychology
How Can Self-Actualization Assist Societal Growth in the Future?
Conclusion
Footnotes
References

From the Paper
"Abraham Maslow was one of the great personality theorists to emerge from the school of Neo-Freudism. This was a period when therapists were attempting to go beyond Freudian concepts and redefine clinical psychology through other techniques. Some of the reasons they felt compelled to try new ways of communicating with their patients were multi fold. First, psychoanalysis was a very long and expensive process for the patient and it also required that the therapist become a Doctor of Medicine before studying psychoanalysis."

Tags:mental, health, freud, theory, psychology, biography

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the health concerns of a 29 female of Aboriginal descent. The writer points out that although she is in generally good physical condition, she suffers from macular degeneration, which is an inherited genetic disability that runs in her family. The writer discusses that this disability tends to be most common in seniors, and results in a gradual decline in visual acuity over time, with blindness being the end result. The writer notes that while this has not manifested itself significantly to date, it is the predominant health anxiety in her life and has shaped her plans for the future (i.e., she will not have children as they will inherit the condition).

From the Paper
"The subject of this essay is a friend of the author, Mary (not her real name) - a female of Aboriginal descent - who is 29 years of age and in generally good physical condition. She drinks in moderation, and is a smoker but has been trying to quit for several years. She does have some problems with her weight, which is often in considerable flux, and is concerned about diabetes. She also possesses a disability - macular degeneration - which is an inherited genetic disability that runs in her family."

Tags:health, diet, disease

Abstract
This paper examines dentistry from a sociological/psychological perspective. The paper begins by defining oral health, as well as sociology and psychology. Next the paper investigates the sociological and psychological problems a dentist may encounter in his practice. The paper offers many researched recommendations for addressing these issues.

From the Paper
"Sociology is concerned with the social and political organizations of society and how these affect the behavior of a person living in a particular community, whereas psychology is concerned with individuals and their relationships with others."

Tags:sociology, psychology dentistry

Abstract
This paper is an in-depth examination of the field of abnormal psychology and the treatment of mental illness. This paper examines the many different components of this field, including the historical treatment and explanation of mental illness, the role of the criminal justice system as a tool used to treat the mentally ill and the benefits and dangers of using labels in mental health. The author also looks at different models that have been applied in this field and presents both the advantages and disadvantages to their use. Also examined in detail is the treatment of children, uses and abuses of medication and child's rights when being treated by a therapist.

The following is a table of contents for the paper:
Historical Treatment and Explanation of Mental Illness
Criminal Justice System as Treatment for Mentally Ill
The Benefits and Dangers of using Labels in Mental Health
What is Concordance?
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Medical Model Approach to Mental Disorders
Inter-Rater Reliability of the DSM-IV
Why has ADHD's prevalence recently increased so dramatically?
Who should have control over the treatment of children?
The right of the mentally ill to have children
What are: Mental Retardation, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, and Learning Disorders?
There is a bibliography, but no footnotes or endnotes.

From the Paper
"The advantages of this view include getting faster results, attaining functionality, and avoiding stigmatization through labeling. The medical model's approach of treating the behavior can often achieve much faster results because it does not spend time searching for an often difficult to find, underlying cause. It treats what is already obvious, the behavior, and thus can attain much faster results. The medical model is also capable of restoring a person to a level of functionality much faster than the non-medical model. By treating the behavior problems, a person can become able to function within their daily lives. The medical model would advocate teaching coping skills rather than trying to cure the unconscious causes of behavior, which they may not even admit exist. Another advantage of the medical model is that it avoids the labeling associated with the traditional diagnoses offered by the DSM-IV. By only treating the behavior, the medical model does not provide a label for the patient and thus avoids the associated stigmatization of labeling."

Tags:adhd, criminal, diagnostics, disorders, dsm, health, hippocrates, illness, justice, labels, medical, mental, model, treatment, children, system, medical, drug