Introduction
Psychology has played a major role in both individual and groups through determining how people reason and live. It has various established branches including clinical and legal. Therefore, this paper will discuss into details the special branch of psychology in regard to clinical.
Clinical psychology by definition is the branch of psychology that conducts the research for new ideas and knowledge and applies it in dealing with people who are not mentally upright. A psychologists provide numerous and dispensable services to the mentally disturbed people. The services may include diagnosis, assessment and giving medical treatment to individuals who are mentally disturbed (Webb 1993).
In other words, social psychology in clinics is a scientific discipline that tends to comprehend the nature and establish the reasons why different people behave in different ways. Social psychologists therefore are concerned with the factors that might have caused such behavior in the present world. The psychologists normally provide these crucial medical services in line with the set procedures like understanding the patient, predicting their emotional and social behavior.
In this regard, there are many theories that have been advanced to further explain the concept, practical and the validity of the social psychology in clinics. These theories have been established by many renowned psychologists around the world, the psychologists that have excelled in the field of psychology.
Social psychology theories
Attribution theory
This theory was advanced to give explanations and give more light on how people may fathom and explain how other person behaves. It also tells more about how people respond and give explanation regarding causes of events.
Cognitive dissonance
This theory was established to explain how people think of themselves upon violating what they deem to be right in their own view. The theory is more of self-concept and brings about a change of attitude.
Evolutionary psychology
This theory suggests that the social behavior of individuals was partly inherited from the fore fathers and partly came into existence after the natural selection. Other social clinical psychology theories may include observational learning, suggesting that the human or rather the individual behavior came about observing other people and emulate what they actually do and how they live.
Social identity was also believed to be one of the ways in which individuals acquire behavioral change. The theory suggested that, when people from different places and classes are brought together, their interaction plays a major role in shaping their thinking and mentality.
Ways in which social psychological clinic have been applied in the health
This paper will provide emphasis and focus more on the social psychological point of view on health issues. It was established that biological, psychological and social model is the integral composition of the health psychology. It therefore reflects that health and illness are directly contributed majorly by the psychological and social factors. There are certain attitudes towards illnesses that can largely contribute or affect the health of an individual.
State of mind
Social psychology gets its application to the health and illness due to the fact that the state of mind of an individual can either lead him or her into happiness, depression of loneliness and stress (Myers 2013). These kinds of people who have suffered from the inappropriate state of mind must be given special attention by the people around them so as to the better lives.
For instance, a person who is suffering from depression must be given medical attention and social support from the friends so that they can live well again. Having friends around, whom we can share our plights and get social support from, can really have an impact on our lives especially when psychologically we are not healthy.
Self efficacy
The researchers had it that strong self efficacy has greater impacts in the life of an individual in regard to better health, outstanding performance in social places like schools and work places. This concept of self efficacy has been widely put into practice in numerous areas as emotional disorders and physical health. It has become a major area of concern especially in clinical, educational, social development.
Behavioral change
Behavioral change is more inclined to an individual ability to have a sense of control. For instance, if a person believes that one can perform well in a given area and commits to this mentality, definitely he/she will perform well. Our health is more directly determined by the way we live, think, behave, and relate to other people in social places.
Better state of heath will enable one to undertake his personal activities and commitments without any hindrance (Myers 2013). But, all these must be preceded by a change in mind and stable psychological development. In health psychology, cognition normally affects human perception, and therefore there must be a proper way in which an individual shall be made to have a change of thinking.
In conclusion, affective awareness that includes feelings like fear and hate needs emotional support from others who will help one recovers from such emotions. In this way, the victim shall cope well with such kind of emotions and his/her health will not be affected adversely.
References
Myers, D. (2013). Social Psychology (11th edition). New York: McGraw Hill.
Webb, E. (1993). The self between: From Freud to the new social psychology of France. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.