2nd semester

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to:

• Know and apply concepts and theories, enhancing their studies in the social sciences.
• Develop an interdisciplinary framework of thinking.
• Expand their knowledge in applied programs for disease and chronic illness support, especially concerning:
  • Awareness of the patient's social role.
  • Changing attitudes, replacing dysfunctional with functional ones.
  • Functionally modifying the attributions of illness.
  • Limiting prejudice and discrimination towards vulnerable individuals and groups affected by illness.
• Develop independent research intervention plans for individuals and groups in the community, which will include control groups and pre- and post-intervention measurements, with a systematic focus on evidence-based research designs and corresponding conclusions.
• Acquire specialized skills in problem analysis and resolution, both in research contexts and in the development of innovative ideas for application in prevention and support environments for individuals and groups with ill-health.
• Communicate structured and clear conclusions, along with the theoretical and empirical framework on which they are based, and present their arguments logically.

Course Content

The course aims to train students in models and theories of Social Psychology with applications in education and health promotion, with a special emphasis on social models predicting behavior in health care and disease issues. It includes social cognition focusing on cognitive information processing, categorization, cognitive schemas, perception of individuals and groups, and attribution theory with applications in the causality of illness. It also includes attitude-behavior inconsistencies and relevant theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior, Social Comparison Theory, Social Identity Theory, stereotypical perceptions, and prejudice, with an emphasis on applications in discrimination and prejudice against patients and groups, as well as the elderly population (aging). Specific topics are analyzed, such as communication in spaces and contexts of implementing social support programs for patients, design of health promotion programs, doctor-patient communication, and the special difficulties faced by the role of the patient, their duties, and obligations, especially in cases of chronic patients. Finally, the course aims to sensitize students to the concept of psychological intervention and psychotherapy as psychosocial events that contribute to promoting mental health and present cross-cultural differentiation.