Cursos / 3º Ciclo / Institute of Psychology and Educational Sciences :: Applied Psychology: Health And Well-being

QUESTÕES APROFUNDADAS EM PSICOLOGIA APLICADA I - 2025/2026

1º curricular year
Semestralidade: 1st semester
ECTS: 6

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Prof. Doutora Susana Pedras
Assistant Professor: Prof. Doutora Susana Pedras

Class type and School hours

Seminário : 15 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

The objective of this Curricular Unit (CU) is to promote and deepen students´ knowledge in a critical way regarding the applications of psychology to states of health and well-being and positive functioning.

Specific Aims/Objectives

Integrate and articulate the theoretical and empirical dimensions of fundamental and emerging themes in Psychology, Health and Well-being (PHWB).
Identify and integrate the diversity of themes and problems addressed by PHWB, and its theoretical approaches and methodologies.
Identify and recognize the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective of PHWB, knowing existing research and its applicability at various levels and contexts.

Skills to be acquired

Understand the application of health and well-being concepts to various contexts and populations.
Understand some of the traditional and contemporary models for promoting health and well-being and their applicability to various contexts and populations.
Promote the identification and selection of emerging themes and lines of research with which they most identify.

Teaching Procedures

Teaching methodologies will combine expository, participatory and interactive methodologies. The contents will be explored through oral presentation, content projection, group discussion and on the Moodle platform, as well as through individual analysis of relevant scientific articles associated with the specific topic. Debate and reflection will be encouraged with the
in order to promote the ability to think critically, synthesize and train oral communication

Programme

CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES AND HEALTH ASSESSMENT: Definition: Health and WHO, Historical dimension of health promotion, Social determinants of health, Health promotion to prevent disease, Health promotion in disease, Various levels of action: individual, societal, community, Health behavior VS risk behavior, Lifestyle, Factors determining and explaining change, Models and theories explaining the change, and health maintenance.

CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES AND WELL-BEING ASSESSMENT: Positive psychology? Why?, Subjective Well-Being (Diener, 1984), Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989), Well-Being Theory (Seligman, 2011), Broad-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions (Fredrickson, 1998), Theory of resource conservation (Hobfoll, 1989); Temporal stability of well-being; Intrapersonal factors associated with subjective well-being; Interpersonal factors associated with well-being; Contextual factors associated with subjective well-being; Cultural factors associated with subjective well-being; Assessment/Measurement of Well-Being, How to assess well-being? Assessment methods and instruments; Main methods of assessing well-being.

Evaluation Type

Attendance, interest and participation; Presentation at the end of the semester of an intervention program to promote health and/or well-being, in any population or context, designed according to the health and well-being model previously discussed, the design and specific assessment instruments, and the methodology of evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

Teaching Resources

Computer and projector for lectures; Books and scientific articles; podcasts and smartphone applications.

Sustainability Objectives

A curricular unit in the PhD in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being, which addresses In-Depth Questions, contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Quality Education (SDG 4); Health and Well-Being (SDG 3); and Reducing Inequalities (SDG 10)

Keywords

Psychology, Health, Well-being, Health promotion and well-being; Disease prevention;

Main Bibliography

Complementary Bibliography