| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Behavioral approaches to medicine: Application and analysis edited by J. Regis McNamara (1979). In this book, McNamara has taken a different perspective, emphasizing the content of behavioral assessment and treatment as it applies to the activities of psychologists and other health professionals in medical settings. McNamara speaks of the interpenetration of behavior modification into medicine, much as one might speak of the use of behavior therapy in schools or of the application of behavioral psychology in prisons. Instead of involving the reader in a discussion of the nuances of definitions of fields such as health psychology or behavioral medicine, McNamara sticks with the idea of applying principles from a familiar area to particular problems that arise in a different area. Thus, the focus of the book is on practical problem-solving and on developing a behavioral conceptualization of health care problems. This book is very useful to the extent that it consistently presents this point of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
