Speaker: Dr. Lu Qian, M.D. Ph.D
                  Director of Culture and Health Research Center
                  Department of Psychology, University of Houston USA
Time:        9:30am – 10:40am
Date:        May 13 (Tues), 2014
Venue:     Room 101, East Building, IPCAS

Abstract:

This presentation will address two lines of programmatic research that focus on the understanding of physical pain and reduction of emotional pain and how a cultural perspective enriches psychological research. There has been growing interests using expressive writing as an intervention to reduce emotional pain. Expressive writing is a guided writing exercise and aimed to promote health. Over 500 studies have used the expressive writing paradigm. Social , cognitive, and linguistic mechanisms have been proposed to explain the health benefits of expressive writing. This presentation will address the advantage of the paradigm and how it is particularly useful for Asians and those who have inner conflict expressing emotions. This presentation will also briefly demonstrate how laboratory pain paradigms are particularly useful to study the influence of culture on health and gender and ethnic differences using a bio-psychosocial model. These studies contribute to our understanding of cultural influences on health and the development of culturally sensitive psychosocial interventions to ultimately promote health within an ecological framework.

Attachment:

　  Culture and Health: From Emotional Pain to Physical Pain(.pdf)