Mental and Physical Health

Mental and Physical Health

Predicting and Changing Behavior

von Shulamith Kreitler

This book presents a new approach to physical and mental health based on cognitive orientation (CO) theory—an approach that enables understanding, predicting and changing behaviors in different domains. The major tenet of the CO approach is that cognitive beliefs and theme—specific for the behavior or disorder—function as a motivational disposition for that behavior, thus enabling the prediction of its occurrence and a targeted intervention. This monograph presents the theory and methodology of CO with empirical examples in regard to health–affiliated behaviors (e.g., undergoing medical tests, taking medications), mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, addiction, ADHD), physical disorders (e.g., cancer diseases, cardiological disorders, skin disorders), coping behaviors (e.g., resilience, post-traumatic growth), and interventions designed to reduce chances of disease recurrence and enhance quality of life. The objective of the book is to describe the contribution of the CO approach to health and to explore the similarities and differences between the characteristic features of mental and physical disorders. It provides a firm innovative psychological basis for understanding mental and physical disorders and providing adequate psychological help for patients suffering from these disorders–ranging from children to adults to cognitively-challenged individuals. This book will be relevant for psychologists, psychology students, psychotherapists, health psychologists, clinical psychologists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, oncologists, and other medical and health professionals.

This book presents a new approach to physical and mental health based on cognitive orientation (CO) theory—an approach that enables understanding, predicting and changing behaviors in different domains. The major tenet of the CO approach is that cognitive beliefs and theme—specific for the behavior or disorder—function as a motivational disposition for that behavior, thus enabling the prediction of its occurrence and a targeted intervention. This monograph presents the theory and methodology of CO with empirical examples in regard to health–affiliated behaviors (e.g., undergoing medical tests, taking medications), mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, addiction, ADHD), physical disorders (e.g., cancer diseases, cardiological disorders, skin disorders), coping behaviors (e.g., resilience, post-traumatic growth), and interventions designed to reduce chances of disease recurrence and enhance quality of life. The objective of the book is to describe the contribution of the CO approach to health and to explore the similarities and differences between the characteristic features of mental and physical disorders. It provides a firm innovative psychological basis for understanding mental and physical disorders and providing adequate psychological help for patients suffering from these disorders–ranging from children to adults to cognitively-challenged individuals. This book will be relevant for psychologists, psychology students, psychotherapists, health psychologists, clinical psychologists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, oncologists, and other medical and health professionals.

Highlights

• Applies the framework of the cognitive orientation approach to both mental disorders and physical disorders Based on empirical studies performed in the framework of the innovative cognitive orientation approach Provides tools for understanding, predicting and intervening in regard to mental and physical disorders

Über den Autor

Shulamith Kreitler is a full Professor of Psychology at Tel Aviv University since 1986, and has worked at Princeton, Harvard and Yale Universities.  She is a certified clinical psychologist and health psychologist. In 1993, she established the unit of psychooncology at the Tel Aviv Ichilov Medical Center. in 1993 and the Center for Psychooncology Research at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer in 2007. She teaches full time at Tel-Aviv University, treats patients and does research at the Sheba Medical Center, and speaks and conducts workshops in different universities and conferences worldwide. Her major publications are in health, cognition, personality, and psychooncology and she’s published over 200 articles in major journals and 19 scientific books about cognition, meaning, health, death and dying, personality traits, and the perception of art.