Social psychologists respond to health issues taking into account people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. Patients and their relations with others are examined. Social psychologists look at the issue from the mental perspective. They evaluate consumers’ interactions and their influence.
The traditional approach to healthcare delivery is based on clinical and laboratory evaluation. If a person survived in a car crash and is not able to walk, he/she passes several medical tests. The patient goes through a course of physical medicine and rehabilitation or is sent home. Within a social psychological perspective, more attention is paid to the person, but not a disease (Cherry, 2015). If one is not able to act, as usual, he/she lacks self-confidence. The patient cannot continue working and believes in becoming a burden for the family. However, if one has a chance to recover, they encourage achieving progress. The meetings with disabled people are recommended in treatable and untreatable cases. The patient consults a psychologist to do away with anger and believe in him/herself. One’s value for society will be restored due to the opportunity of other activities.
A child with cancer is another example. Children are claimed to be rude. They do not hide their attitude towards others. Thus, a child who is seriously ill and looks sickly will become lonely. The traditional medical care that is aimed at deadening the disease will not be enough. The child will be taught how to cope with the situation when peers are staring at one and talk about the problem. Moreover, the parent’s role in the treatment will be underlined, as they are the ones to provide a child with a non-restless environment and try to treat him/her as usual to provide comfort (Asadi-Lari, Tamburini, & Gray, 2004).
Thus, social psychologists concentrate on the patients’ interactions with other people in different spheres. Other clinical providers do not pay much attention to this perspective. They care more about the patient, his/her inner world, and the physical state. As they do not connect all these with one’s interactions, a person is treated as an individual separated from the outer world.
References
Al-Deen, H., & Hendricks J. (2012). Social media: usage and impact. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Lexington Books. Web.
Asadi-Lari, M., Tamburini, M., & Gray, D. (2004). Patients’ needs, satisfaction, and health related quality of life: Towards a comprehensive model. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2(32), 1-15. Web.
Cherry, K. (2015). What are the major perspectives in social psychology? Web.
Frank, K. (2010). Quantitative methods for studying social context in multilevels and through interpersonal relations. Review of Research in Education 23(171), 171-216. Web.
Hassan, Golkar. (2013). Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 5(8), 225-240. Web.
Klein, L. (2014). Does technology cut us off from other people? Web.
Lawrence, S. (2015). Social psychology of education. An international Journal 18(67), 39-65. Web.
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Web.