PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION

Assignment-1

Aditya Verma
BA ECONOMICS (H)
SKG212E0001

Q.1. Critically examine the importance of the discipline of Psychology and

Psychologists in the booming media world.
Ans. Understanding the effects of technology requires an understanding of psychology.
Therefore, it seems like characterizing media psychology ought to be really clear. However, for
some reason, it is not. Even though we are not philosophers, I have had conversations with
colleagues that seem to have lasted for hours about what constitutes media, mediated
communication, technology, and what we mean by psychology in the context of media. I will
discuss my definition of media psychology and the significance I place on it in this post and the
two posts that follow. By combining an understanding of human behavior, cognition, and
emotions with an equal understanding of media technologies, the aim of media psychology is to
attempt to answer these questions. Media psychology, in contrast to other forms of media studies,
focuses on more than just content. Media psychology examines the system as a whole. There are
no beginnings or endings. The technology developer, the content creator, content perceptions,
and user response are all parts of a never-ending loop. Media psychology evaluates the system's
interactive process in the same way that Bandera describes the reciprocal action between
environment, behavior, and cognition in social cognitive theory. This system is not a chicken or
an egg system. They all coexist and develop alongside one another. Media psychology has a
significant cross-disciplinary component. People who work in media psychology are not all
psychologists. In point of fact, marketing and advertising comprised a significant portion of the
initial research, and the majority of the research in media psychology has been published in
academic and applied fields other than psychology, such as sociology, communications,
anthropology, media studies, education, computer and information sciences, and marketing and
business management. The lack of intellectual cross-pollination has frequently proven
challenging. This is something that media psychology aims to address by bringing together all of
these approaches and vocabularies with the recognition that communication, cognition, and
emotions are fundamental to the human experience and, as such, have, by definition,
psychological foundations.
A range of reactions, from enthusiasm to mistrust, have been sparked by the rapid spread of
technology, which is unsettling. Change comes to us all in our own unique ways. We are
compelled to alter our perspective on the world as technology alters our lives. Humans are not
particularly adept at that.
Media psychology offers a solution to this problem. It is difficult to define a field that is
relatively new. Media psychology aims to make sense of the interaction between people, groups,
society, and technology so that we can make decisions and live our lives to the fullest extent
possible.
A good deal of the research has been fueled by our collective concern regarding the effects of
media on individuals and society, such as violence depictions, consumer manipulation, and
information overload. On the other hand, there is relatively little research on the beneficial
applications of technologies. Media psychology helps us to understand some of the implications
of technological change and closes this gap. Media impact is hypothesized, operationalized, and
quantified by researchers. Media psychology research, on the other hand, is difficult;
complicated by the difficulty of measuring things that are so deeply ingrained in the fabric of
everyday life. In today's complex world, it is extremely difficult to separate variables that cause
confusion. Media psychology is the study of how people and media technologies interact in the
context of current culture. Today, we are consumers, producers, and distributors of media, and
our choices directly affect what others produce for us to see. Media technologies are a system
with a constant feedback loop between users and producers, making them both influential.
Despite our desire to assign blame to "the media," society cannot be separated from it. Human
experience doesn't occur autonomously of the ongoing social, political, and mechanical climate.
Media technologies are all over, and they have the potential to play a role in entertainment,
education, healthcare, science, business, advocacy, and public policy. I've been a part of
interesting research on how technology literacy affects identity development, how our mental
models affect how we interpret information, developing educational initiatives that use emerging
technologies like virtual worlds and augmented reality to create immersive learning
environments, and games that encourage altruistic behavior. Teaching online also allows me to
observe media psychology in action.

Q.2. In a developing country like India, which approaches to Health Psychology do

you think would effectively address the concerns of the growing health issues and
why?
Ans. To put it mildly, discussing mental health awareness in Indian households is frowned upon.
People and organizations working to raise awareness of mental health issues in India have made
progress in recent years. Still, it is considered unethical to violate Indian norms and values in a
family setting. A 2015 World Health Organization report found that one in five Indians will
experience depression at some point in their lives. There is a terrifying lack of awareness about
what is being referred to as an "epidemic" among Indians due to the stigma associated with
mental illness. According to the same report, only 10 to 12 percent of individuals with mental
illnesses seek assistance. The need to properly treat and care for mental illness is like the
"elephant in the room," so obvious that no one seems to notice it. What is the one thing that
irritates the majority of Indian young adults with mental health issues? The fact that they were
the first people they looked up to. Since admitting a problem necessitates making changes,
everyone prefers to deny its existence. Additionally, change is hard. And a mess. What's more,
close to unthinkable for a general public so stubborn. When people's weaknesses are made
public, it often leads to criticism, rumor, and drama. Additionally, it prevents much-needed
psychological treatment. Not only does ignorance have an effect, but it also stays with an
individual throughout their lifetime, making it difficult for them to address serious mental and
physical issues and perpetuating the unawareness cycle.
Because it enables us to comprehend the various social, cultural, and economic factors that
influence a nation's health and wellness outcomes, health psychology is an important field. The
psychological, behavioral, and social determinants of health and well-being, which can be used
to inform health policy and health promotion strategies, can be uncovered through health
psychology. In addition, health psychology can assist in the identification and treatment of
mental health issues as well as the delivery of interventions that are supported by evidence and
have the potential to enhance health outcomes. At last, wellbeing brain science can be utilized to
comprehend the variables that add to wellbeing incongruities, and to make designated
intercessions that address the novel necessities of various populaces. I believe that the
biopsychosocial approach and the community approach would be best suited for addressing the
concerns of the growing health issues in India, despite the fact that there is no single answer to
the question of which approach of health psychology is the most effective for doing so. The
prevalence of mental health disorders is high in India. The World Health Organization estimates
that 56 million people in India suffer from depression, making it the nation with the highest
prevalence rate in the world. Additionally, there are a lot of people in India who struggle with
stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Mental health services can help alleviate the
physical and emotional burden of mental health disorders by providing valuable support to those
in need. India can lessen the stigma associated with mental health disorders and ensure that those
in need receive the necessary care by providing high-quality mental health services. In India,
dealing with these problems can be made much easier with the help of the biopsychosocial
approach. This method recognizes that all of these factors must be taken into account when
addressing health issues and places an emphasis on the impact that biological, psychological, and
social factors have on health and illness. This strategy, which takes into account the cultural and
economic differences that exist in India, can assist in determining the underlying causes of health
issues and developing effective solutions. This method, for instance, can be utilized to identify
the psychological and cultural factors that aid in the spread of infectious diseases and to develop
interventions that target these factors. In addition, the biopsychosocial approach can be utilized
to identify the psychological and sociocultural barriers to healthcare access in India and to
develop interventions that can assist in reducing these obstacles. A healthcare provider can use
the biopsychosocial model to gain a deeper understanding of the various factors that contribute to
the progression of the disease and to provide society's patients with more comprehensive
preventative information about how they can improve their quality of life. The gap between
actual health and a person's perception of being healthy has narrowed significantly thanks to the
biopsychosocial model, which has also fundamentally altered the manner in which patients are
treated in the modern healthcare system. The biopsychosocial approach is potent because it
focuses more on the person as a whole than just the illness. A new way of thinking about how the
population is doing has emerged as a result. Because they now have a broader perspective, public
health organizations are able to take a different approach to illness and deliver better results from
preventative measures. By involving and empowering the local communities to identify and
address their health needs, the community approach can be used to address India's growing
health issues. To develop locally appropriate solutions and establish a shared understanding of
health needs, this strategy involves collaborating with local stakeholders. This could involve
local communities in the planning and execution of health interventions or in the creation of
locally run health initiatives that are tailored to the community's specific requirements. The
empowerment of local communities to take responsibility for their own health and the
effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability of health interventions can both be aided by this
strategy.