Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Psychology School
Social relationships are integral to health behaviour and outcomes. People who are more socially connected generally live longer and are healthier than those who are socially isolated. The science shows that social ties are at least as good for your health as not smoking, having a good diet and taking regular exercise. To date, however, researchers and practitioners have understood the impact of social life on health far less well than other psychological and physical factors. As a result it has proved difficult to harness the power of social processes to promote positive health outcomes. HLTH3132 addresses this issue and will assist you to (1) understand existing psychological theory and management of conditions typically encountered in health psychology and (2) extend your knowledge of these current approaches through application of a new social identity approach to health from which to understand and manage social influences on health behaviour and outcomes. This course will challenge you to critically evaluate both our current understanding of health and its extension in the social identity approach to health to provide a more holistic understanding of psychological health and its management.
This course explores the theory and applicationﾠof a social identity approach to health, as outlined in the volume:ﾠThe New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the Social Cureﾠ(Haslam, Jetten, Cruwys, Dingle & Haslam, 2018).ﾠ
In developing this understanding we will first explore some current approaches to managing conditions and contexts encountered in health psychology practice,ﾠbefore extending on this to consider and critique the social group contributors and determinants of health outcomes.
This dual focus is reflected in the course structure and teaching sessions. Lectures and tutorials will help you to evaluate current common approaches to each health topic we cover before considering what a social identity perspective adds to understanding and management. The topics we cover are those commonly experienced by people who are referred to health psychology practitionersﾠand include the contribution ofﾠsocial status and disadvantage to health, stress, trauma and resilience, ageing, depression, addiction, eating behaviour, physical inactivity, acquired brain injury, and chronic mental health conditions.
ﾠ
ﾠ
Course requirements
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
PSYC1040 or PSYC2040
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PSYC3132
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
There are no tutorials in the first week of class. Assigned readings have been set for Week 11 of the semester, where there is no lecture or tutorials.
Aims and outcomes
HLTH3132 aims to provide an understanding of (i) current approaches to theory, research, and practice in the psychology of health and (ii) how application of a new social identity approach to health extends this analysis to account for the social group determinants of health. The following three general areas are addressed in the course.
1. Overview: What are current approaches to managing health and why do we need a new psychology of health? This is followed by an introduction to the theory and principles underlying the social identity approach to health.
2. Application of current and the social identity approaches in health conditions and contexts: In this we will cover topics on disadvantage, stress, trauma and resilience, ageing, depression, addiction, eating behaviour, acquired brain injury, chronic mental health conditions, and COVID-19.
3. Translating the new psychology of health theory and principles to practice: Various tools and programs have been developed in the course of translating the social identity approach to health to practice. In this element we will focus on a tool and program with the strongest evidence base to date of social identity mapping and Groups 4 Health, respectively.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Possess an understanding of psychological theories and practices currently employed in managing health
LO2.
Understand the social group, and social identity, determinants of health
LO3.
Possess comprehensive and extensive knowledge of theory and the underpinnings of current and social identity approaches to health
LO4.
Demonstrate knowledge of current and social identity approaches through presentation (oral and visual) and case discussion
LO5.
Understand the role of current approaches and social identity processes in prevention and management of health conditions
LO6.
Demonstrate skills to retrieve, evaluate, utilize and share information relevant to current and social identity approaches to health
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Quizzes (in class)
|
25% |
9/03/2026 - 29/05/2026
This timeframe covers all quizzes |
| Presentation |
Group Presentation
|
35% |
16/03/2026 - 22/05/2026
In tutorials (Weeks 4-12) |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Individual Social Identity Map and Commentary | 40% |
23/03/2026 - 29/05/2026
This assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard no later than 1 week after your group presentation (i.e., by 12 noon on the day of your tutorial). |
Assessment details
Quizzes (in class)
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
9/03/2026 - 29/05/2026
This timeframe covers all quizzes
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
There are 10 paper-and-pencil quizzes that will take place in lectures from Week 3 and through to our final lecture in Week 13. Each quiz will test your knowledge of the previous week’s topic (e.g., Quiz 1 in Week 3, will test knowledge of the topic Social Status and Disadvantage), covering material from lectures, tutorials and readings related to that topic. The quizzes will be paper-and-pencil multiple choice format, comprise 3 questions, and be open for 5 minutes.
As this is a secure assessment, you will need to bring your student card, against which attendance will be recorded
Submission guidelines
In-person paper-and-pencil multiple choice submitted in class on completion of the quiz.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
As this assessment must be completed in lectures, that you are expected to attend, there is no form of extension for this assessment. There are 10 quizzes, and only 7 will be included in calculation of this mark.
Late submission
As this assessment must be completed in lectures, that you are expected to attend, there is no late submission for this assessment. There are 10 quizzes over 12 lectures. Only 7 will be included in calculation of this mark, which allows for up to 3 missed quiz assessed classes without impacting this assessment.
Group Presentation
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
16/03/2026 - 22/05/2026
In tutorials (Weeks 4-12)
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
This assessment piece is designed for students to develop and refine their skills in researching, evaluating and sharing information as a group about a health topic and a current approach to its psychological management.
Group presentations will be given in tutorials in weeks 4-12. All members of the group will receive the same mark for the assignment which is worth 35 points of your overall mark for this course. However, this is with the expectation that every group member contributes fully to this assignment both in preparation and presentation. Should any member of a group not engage or participate then they risk receiving a mark of zero for this assignment. Where a group finds that one of their members does not engage with the assignment, they need to inform their tutor as soon as this becomes apparent and the tutor will make the ultimate decision about awarding of marks.
All presentations must be recorded in advance (using Zoom or other technology that must be compatible with UQ platforms to support its presentation) and be submitted to your tutor before 5pm on the day before your presentation.
Allocation to group and presentation date will be done by the course tutor(s) in your first tutorial in Week 2.
Each group will have 15-minutes to present, with 5 minutes for questions. All presentations are expected to be polished, relevant and interesting and will be marked against the stated criteria and marks will be given to the group as a whole. So in part you will be assessed on your ability to work together and co-ordinate your presentation with other members of your team as this is an important component of health (and in fact all clinical) psychology practice.
Submission guidelines
The group presentation recording should be submitted via turnitin by 5pm the day before your tutorial presentation.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
There is no extension or deferral as It is expected your group presentation will be recorded in advance and sent to your tutor by 5pm the day before your presentation to play for the class. In the group presentation, all members of the group are expected to make a contribution and present. This is reflected in the group mark for this assignment. All members need to be present to respond to questions. If a member of the group is unable to make the presentation date, then evidence must be provided by the student to their tutor to account for their absence with the remainder of the group available to respond to questions.
Late submission
There is no late submission for this assignment (see rationale under extension or deferral availability note below).
Individual Social Identity Map and Commentary
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
23/03/2026 - 29/05/2026
This assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard no later than 1 week after your group presentation (i.e., by 12 noon on the day of your tutorial).
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05, L06
Task description
Health is not just about biology — it’s also about social identity. The SIAH shows how belonging to social groups (family, peers, cultural, community, online, workplace, schools, etc) can shape how people manage their health issues. In this individual assignment you will explore these dynamics by creating a Social Identity Map for the health issue your group presentation addressed.
There are two expected outputs:
1. Social Identity Map: A template is provided with square representing the individual and circles representing groups with compatibility lines indicating the nature of the relationship between the person and their groups and between the groups.
2. Written Commentary: Explaining how social identity processes can influence the client’s health behaviour in relation to behaviour change and management of their health issue. This could include processes that affect disclosure, perceptions of supports, identity threats, stigma, social influence, and behaviour change.
This assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard no later than 1 week after your group presentation (i.e., by 12 noon on the day of your tutorial).
Task Detail
1. Social Identity Map. Create a map for a client you choose presenting with the health issue that you have learned about in your group presentation. Your map should include at least five social group memberships and follow the published approach with a few additions.
- Indicate the importance of each group to the clientRate each group on three established criteria of social support, representativeness, and positivity, and a new 4th criterion of psychological safety (defined as the extent to which the group provides an environment where the person feels safe to express themselves, disclose concerns, make mistakes, and be vulnerable without fear of judgement, rejection, or negative consequences).
- Indicate how each group influences the person’s health behaviour— positively (through support, encouragement, shared positive health behaviour norms), neutrally (having no particular impact on health behaviour), or negatively (stigma, exclusion, unhealthy norms)
- Indicate the compatibility between the individual and each group, and the compatibility between groups
There are two papers providing more detail and validation of the social identity mapping that could be useful to resource when developing your maps for this assignment:
Cruwys, T., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Haslam, C., Jetten, J., & Dingle, G. A. (2016). Social identity mapping: A procedure for visual representation and assessment of subjective multiple group memberships. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55(4), 613–642. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12155
Bentley, S. V., Greenaway, K. H., Haslam, S. A., Cruwys, T., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, C., & Cull, B. (2020). Social identity mapping online. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(2), 213-241.https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000174
2. Written commentary (1000 words) explaining the client presentation and the map in detail.
- Describe the person’s social group network,
- Apply concepts from the social identity approach to explain their influence (e.g., ingroup norms, strength of identification and belonging, collective efficacy/agency, identity threat).
- Discuss any supportive and hindering roles of the group memberships specific to the client’s health behaviour in managing their health issue.
Criteria & Marking:
The assignment will be judged against the following criteria
(A) Quality and Integrity of the Social identity map [15%].
Students produce a unique, thoughtful map that reflects authentic and clinically meaningful engagement with relevant group memberships. The group memberships identified have a meaningful role to play in the person’s life in the context of their health issue, are represented accurately (as they would present in the life of a person with the health issue), and judgements/ratings are coherent both within the group (e.g., i.e., across the 4 quality criteria) and between the groups (i.e., compatibilities).
(B) Quality of the Written Commentary [20%]
- Client presentation [5%] Client and their network description should demonstrate knowledge of the health issue and should align with the group memberships you have identified in their network (family, peers, cultural, community, health professional, online, etc)
- Conceptual understanding and depth of analysis [15%]. (i) Demonstrates clear grasp of the social identity approach to health as it applies to the client’s health issue, and accurately explains how identity processes related to each group’s circumstances, norms and behaviour will impact the person and their management of the health issue. (ii) Critically evaluates both positive and negative influences and roles of each group and an understanding of identity dynamics. (iii) Provides a convincing explanation of how identity processes reflected in the map shape the client’s real world health experience and management of their health issue
(C) Clarity and communication [5%]. The visual map is easy to process/understand, interpret, and complements the analysis. The written commentary is well-structured, clear and persuasive.
These are also detailed in the marking criteria provided and will be discussed in your first tutorial.
Submission guidelines
Submitted via Turn-it-in via Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Applications for extension should be submitted before the due date
Applications for extension after the due date will only be accepted in exceptional cases (e.g. severe illness, hospitalization, or for compassionate reasons). Please refer to the policy and guidelines for further information as well as the following link on my.UQ for extension eligibility
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam (the web link can be found on the Policies and Procedures tab)
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
No assignments will be accepted after feedback has been released.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Percentage marks will be rounded to the nearest whole number ie. 84.4% will round down to 84%ﾠand 84.5% will round up to 85%. This will apply to all grade cutoffs apart from a grade of 4. The minimum pass mark is 50% and a pass cannot be achieved with 49.5%.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (23 Feb - 01 Mar) |
Lecture |
Introduction to the Social Identity Approach to Health Lecture 1 Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
No Tutorial |
|
Week 2 (02 Mar - 08 Mar) |
Lecture |
Social Status and Disadvantage Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial (Assessment requirements, Group presentation allocation) Course assessment, Group presentation allocation Learning outcomes: L04, L06 |
|
Week 3 (09 Mar - 15 Mar) |
Lecture |
Stress (Quiz 1 on Social Status and Disadvantage will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Stress (Case Discussion) Case Discussion; Practice Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 4 (16 Mar - 22 Mar) |
Lecture |
Trauma and Resilience (Quiz 2 on Stress will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Trauma and Resilience (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion; Practice Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 5 (23 Mar - 29 Mar) |
Lecture |
Ageing (Quiz 3 on Trauma and Resilience will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Ageing (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion; Ageing Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Week 6 (30 Mar - 05 Apr) |
Lecture |
Depression (Quiz 4 on Ageing will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Depression (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion;Depression Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Mid-sem break (06 Apr - 12 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid semester break: no tutorial |
Week 7 (13 Apr - 19 Apr) |
Lecture |
Addiction (Quiz 5 on Depression will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Addiction (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation;Case Discussion; Addiction Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 8 (20 Apr - 26 Apr) |
Lecture |
Eating Behaviour (Quiz 6 on Addiction will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Eating Behaviour (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation;Case Discussion; Eating Behaviour Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 9 (27 Apr - 03 May) |
Lecture |
Acquired Brain Injury (Quiz 7 on Eating Behaviour will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Acquired Brain Injury (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion; ABI Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 10 (04 May - 10 May) |
Lecture |
Chronic Mental Health (Quiz 8 on Acquired Brain Injury will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Chronic Mental Health (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion; Chronic Mental Health Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 11 (11 May - 17 May) |
Not Timetabled |
Reading Week - no lecture, tutorial, or quiz Reading time in preparation for Physical Activity teaching Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Week 12 (18 May - 24 May) |
Lecture |
Physical Activity (Quiz 9 on Chronic Mental Health will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Physical Activity (Group Presentation, Case Discussion) Group Presentation; Case Discussion; Physical Activity Topic Reflection Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06 |
|
Week 13 (25 May - 31 May) |
Lecture |
Translation of social identity approach (Quiz 10 on Physical Activity will take place in this class) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Topic - Groups 4 Health, Self Aspect Pie Activity Application: Social Identity Mapping Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: