Abstract

ARRIVILLAGA-QUINTERO, MARCELA. Psychology and Public Health: Tensions, Encounters and Challenges. Univ. Psychol. [online]. 2009, vol.8, n.1, pp.137-148. ISSN 1657-9267.

This paper shows the relationship between Psychology and Public Health. The main tensions among these fields and the possible interdisciplinary conditions that will allow the production of beneficial effects in individual and population health are presented. Then, the encounters between Health Psychology-with a behavioral approach-and the dominant current of Public Health -based on an individualistic notion of the social and public issues- are described, especially in the areas of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Finally, some challenges for Colombian Psychology in order to advance in the integration with the Public Health in five scenarios are presented: as a field of knowledge, education, practice, research and as a scientific and professional community. The principal challenge is to develop a renovated approach from Health Psychology, constructing new models and approaches of individuality in relation to collectivity.

Keywords : Psychology; Public Health; Health Psychology; Public Health; Health Psychology; Psychology.

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