The Psychology of Health: Culture, Self, and Society

What is health? How does someone become healthy or maintain good health? In the US, mainstream narratives about health tend to focus on individual choices and behavior. In this course, we take a broader focus, examining how individual health is shaped by social interactions (e.g., with family, friends, doctors), institutions (e.g., media, policy, advertising), and broad cultural ideas and values (e.g., personal responsibility, independence). Drawing from psychological research, we will examine topics at the intersection of self and society, including: the role of stress, stigma and blame in shaping health and wellbeing, cultural processes contributing to health disparities, attitudes about the proper role of government in shaping public health, and the erosion of trust in medical authority (e.g. anti-vaccination attitudes). We will also consider how race, gender, and socioeconomic status impact health outcomes. Throughout the course, we will analyze cultural products including advertisements, media stories, health PSAs, and government statements to better understand the transmission of cultural ideas of health. Finally, we will discuss various opportunities and barriers to creating social and cultural change regarding health. The course will empower students learn to recognize and analyze the influence of culture on everyday functioning and apply that understanding to improving their own and other people's health outcomes.