3.5.3—Changing health beliefs

3.5.3 Individual factors in changing health beliefs.

• unrealistic optimism: reason for disregarding positive health advice, including a study, e.g. Weinstein (1980).
• positive psychology: defining positive psychology. Three focuses: pleasant life, good life, meaningful life, including a study, e.g. Seligman (2004).
• application of positive psychology (exemplified by the following key study).
• Key study on using positive psychology in schools to improve mental health: Shoshani and Steinmetz (2014).

This matters because —changing health beliefs determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —changing health beliefs to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Changing health beliefs is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.