Introduction to Psychology 1/IPSY101/Contemporary Psychology/I-O health sport psychology

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The study of psychology covers many facets of contemporary life including work and organizations, health, sport and exercise. In this section we briefly summarize the sub-disciplines of psychology in these areas.

Industrial-Organizational psychology

The biopsychosocial model suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of these three factors

Industrial-Organizational psychology (I-O psychology) is a subfield of psychology that applies psychological theories, principles, and research findings in industrial and organizational settings. I-O psychologists are often involved in issues related to personnel management, organizational structure, and workplace environment. Businesses often seek the aid of I-O psychologists to make the best hiring decisions as well as to create an environment that results in high levels of employee productivity and efficiency. In addition to its applied nature, I-O psychology also involves conducting scientific research on behaviour within I-O settings (Riggio, 2013[1]).

Health psychology

Health psychology focuses on how health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. This particular approach is known as the biopsychosocial model. Health psychologists are interested in helping individuals achieve better health through public policy, education, intervention, and research. Health psychologists might conduct research that explores the relationship between one’s genetic makeup, patterns of behaviour, relationships, psychological stress, and health. They may research effective ways to motivate people to address patterns of behaviour that contribute to poorer health (MacDonald, 2013[2]).

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Supplementary Video

View this video published on the Ted channel on YouTube.

In this video, psychologist Michael Norton shares the fascinating results of his research on the relationship between money, spending, and happiness.



Sport and exercise psychology

Researchers in sport and exercise psychology study the psychological aspects of sport performance, including motivation and performance anxiety, and the effects of sport on mental and emotional wellbeing. Research is also conducted on similar topics as they relate to physical exercise in general. The discipline also includes topics that are broader than sport and exercise but that are related to interactions between mental and physical performance under demanding conditions, such as fire fighting, military operations, artistic performance, and surgery.

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Reading

Visit this page on the website of the American Psychological Association to read more about the field of sport psychology.


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Video

Visit this page on the website of the New York Times and watch the brief video at the top of the page that illustrates the use of imagery by Olympic athletes.


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References

  1. Riggio, R. E. (2013). What is industrial/organizational psychology? Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201303/what-is-industrialorganizational-psychology
  2. Macdonald, C. (2013). Health psychology center presents: What is health psychology? Retrieved from http://healthpsychology.org/what-is-health-psychology/

Source
This page was proudly adapted from Psychology published by OpenStax CNX. Oct 31, 2016 under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/4abf04bf-93a0-45c3-9cbc-2cefd46e68cc@5.52.