The history and development of health psychology in the United Kingdom.

Quinn, Francis; Chater, Angel Marie; Morrison, Val

Abstract

Ideas about how the mind, body and health are interconnected date to ancient times and became a focus of psychology in the 20th century. In the first half of the 20th century, medical psychology and psychosomatic medicine applied psychological science to health, and psycho-physiological research investigated relationships between processes such as stress and health indicators. By the 1950s and 60s, psychologists investigated personal and social correlates of behaviours being identified as harmful to health, such as smoking. The 1970s were a key period for UK health psychology, with oral history evidence now available. At that time, medical schools were recruiting psychologists to teach and to conduct research, often addressing practical healthcare problems, such as presurgical anxiety or nonadherence. Social psychological theory was typically used to understand health risk behaviours (e.g., smoking, alcohol use). Also at this time, several UK clinical psychologists took positions in general hospitals, increasingly addressing healthcare issues and adaptation to illness or treatments. Links with "health psychology" development elsewhere, such as in the USA, provided inspiration. In the 1980s it grew as an identity that united a diversity of science and practice, increasingly using theory. Informal professional networks appeared in the 1980, followed by the Health Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society in 1986, with annual conferences and Masters degrees following. Whilst academic health psychology posts increased during the 1990s, many were filled by those with social psychology or psychophysiology backgrounds; practitioners were still clinical psychologists. The upgrade in 1997 from a BPS Section to a BPS Division of Health Psychology enabled practitioners to be chartered in health psychology without a clinical psychology background. By the end of the 2000s, UK health psychology was a recognised academic discipline and health profession with government-accredited training and registration. Its role in health and social care, training, research, policy and practice has continued to strengthen into the 21st century.

Citation

QUINN, F., CHATER, A.M. and MORRISON, V. 2025. The history and development of health psychology in the United Kingdom. In Brown, K., et al. (eds.) SAGE handbook of health psychology: contexts, theory and methods in health psychology. Second edition. London: Sage [online], chapter 1. Available from: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-health-psychology/book280824

• Other Type: Reference Work Contribution
• Online Publication Date: Jun 30, 2025
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 23, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 1, 2027
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Edition: Second edition
• Chapter Number: chapter 1
• ISBN: 9781529791976
• Keywords: Health psychology; United Kingdom; Health psychology practice; Clinical psychology; Training
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2218228
• Publisher URL: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-health-psychology/book280824