Living in a Material World: Reflecting on Some Assumptions of Health Psychology

AS WE ENTER the 21st century a major challenge for health psychologists is to reflect on the adequacy of our theories and methods for improving the health of the world's masses.While many of us may think that our theories developed in the quiet of the academic seminar room are at least benign, the evidence suggests that this may not be the case.For example, in a recent review Waldo and Coates (2000) considered the role of behavioural science, and implicitly of health psychology, in the worldwide programme to develop a strategy to halt the spread of AIDS, the most relentless infectious disease that has led to the deaths of millions in the developing world.They argued that the very theoretical assumptions of health psychology have actually hindered attempts to control this epidemic.Through persistently directing attention towards the individual level of analysis in explaining health-related behaviours, health psychology has contributed to masking the role of economic, political and symbolic social inequalities in patterns of ill-health, both globally and within particular