| health psychology | A subfield of psychology that emphasizes psychology's role in establishing and maintaining health and preventing and treating illness.
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| behavioral medicine | An interdisciplinary field that focuses on developing and integrating behavioral and biomedical knowledge to promote health and reduce illness; overlaps with health psychology.
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| health behaviors | Practices that have an impact on physical well-being, such as adopting a healthy approach to stress, exercising, eating right, brushing one's teeth, performing breast and testicular exams, not smoking, drinking in moderation (or not at all), and practicing safe sex.
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| theory of reasoned action | Theoretical model stating that effective change requires individuals to have specific intentions about their behaviors, as well as positive attitudes about a new behavior, and to perceive that their social group looks positively on the new behavior as well.
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| theory of planned behavior | Theoretical model that includes the basic ideas of the theory of reasoned action but adds the person's perceptions of control over the outcome.
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| stages of change model | Theoretical model describing a five-step process by which individuals give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles.
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| relapse | A return to former unhealthy patterns.
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| implementation intentions | Specific strategies for dealing with the challenges of making a life change.
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| social support | Information and feedback from others indicating that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and included in a network of communication and mutual obligation.
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| general adaptation syndrome (GAS) | Selye' term for the common effects of stressful demands on the body, consisting of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
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| hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) | The complex set of interactions among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands that regulates various body processes and controls reactions to stressful events.
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| psychoneuroimmunology | A new field of scientific inquiry that explores connections among psychological factors (such as attitudes and emotions), the nervous system, and the immune system.
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| problem-focused coping | The coping strategy of squarely facing one's troubles and trying to solve them.
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| emotion-focused coping | The coping strategy that involves responding to the stress that one is feeling—trying to manage one's emotional reaction—rather than focusing on the problem itself.
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| hardiness | A personal quality characterized by a sense of commitment rather than alienation, and of control rather than powerlessness; a hardy person sees problems as challenges rather than threats.
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| stress management program | A regimen that teaches individuals how to appraise stressful events, how to develop skills for coping with stress, and how to put these skills into use in everyday life.
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| exercise | Structured activities whose goal is to improve health.
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| aerobic exercise | Sustained activity—jogging, swimming, or cycling, for example—that stimulates heart and lung functioning.
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