Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Psychosocial Sciences Applied to Physiotherapy
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Send an e-mail to spineda@uic.es
Introduction
1st year
Teachers who will teach the subject:
Gaël Cordero: gcordero@uic.es
Andrea Lastra Martínez: alastra@uic.es
The need to include a subject of Applied Psychosocial Sciences within the content of the Degree in Physiotherapy is justified by the "element" with which physiotherapists must constantly work during their professional practice: people. If it is intended to offer global and quality care, it is necessary to always keep in mind that the patient is not only in pain and/or an injury, but is a person with psychological needs. If you do not adequately know how the person functions, you cannot achieve patient care at a truly human level.
The subject aims not only to help to know how others are, but also to know more about oneself, a previous and fundamental step to take care of others. Therefore, the subject's main objective is for the student to acquire basic, but precise, knowledge about the personal, social and cultural aspects of the human being and to discover, in Psychology and Sociology, help strategies in the field of health and rehabilitation to apply in his/her daily practice as a physiotherapist.
Pre-course requirements
No prerequisites are required.
Objectives
- Introduce in the study of Psychology.
- Get to know the patients in order to provide personalized and individualized care.
- Know the basic structure of the personality of the human being and the elements that contribute to its formation.
- Identify the evolutionary phases of the psychological development of the human being from birth to death.
- Acquire the basic knowledge that establishes the basis of human behavior at the level of sensation, perception and learning and achieve a greater understanding of the human being.
- Learn how to carry out effective communication, manage and read non-verbal communication and carry out an optimal communicative process in physical exercises.
- Develop and observe the importance of affectivity, empathy, motivation, leadership and adaptation to functional diversity.
- Psychologically manage injuries using appropriate strategies in rehabilitation.
- Analyze some social aspects that influence the behavior of patients.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 27 - Knowledge of psychological and social factors that affect the health of the individual, family and community.
- 28 - Understanding of theories of communication and interpersonal skills.
- 28.2 - Demonstrate Interpersonal skills.
- 28.3 - Show respect, appreciation and sensitivity towards the work of others.
- 28.4 - Understanding of the psychological aspects of the physiotherapist-patient relationship.
- 29 - Knowledge of healthcare education theory and awareness of the student's own lifelong learning process.
- 30 - Knowledge of the factors involved in teamwork and leadership.
- 37.1 - Use discretion, use available information appropriately and respect patient dignity and confidentiality
- 37.3 - appreciation and respect for diversity and multiculturalism
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
- Know how to define the introductory concepts of Psychology.
- Distinguish which aspects are important to know about patients in order to provide personalized and individualized care.
- Know the basic structure of the personality of the human being and the elements that contribute to its formation.
- Identify the evolutionary phases of the psychological development of the human being from birth to death.
- Acquire the basic knowledge that establishes the basis of human behavior at the level of sensation, perception and learning and achieve a greater understanding of the human being.
- Carry out effective communication, manage and read non-verbal communication and carry out an optimal communication process in physical exercises.
- Apply affectivity, empathy, motivation, leadership and adaptation to functional diversity in practice.
- Psychologically manage injuries using appropriate strategies in rehabilitation.
- Knowing how to analyze different social aspects that influence the behavior of patients.
Syllabus
Basic cognitive functions and the history of psychology: Consciousness and sleep. Attention. Sensation and perception. Learning. Memory. Language. Thinking and problem-solving. Intelligence. Affectivity. Motivation.
Developmental psychology: Physical, social, and psychological development during childhood, puberty, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Childhood disorders.
Personality psychology: Concept of personality. Structure of personality. Dynamics of personality. Classification. Personality disorders.
Psychopathology: Anxiety disorders. Mood disorders. Eating disorders. Psychotic backgrounds. Drug dependencies.
Social psychology: Altruism, morality, self-concept, and the concept of the other as a social agent from the perspective of evolutionary theory.
Applied psychology: The professional health-patient relationship. Stress. Pain. The placebo effect. The mental health of healthcare professionals.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The methodologies used are the following:
- Master classes: It will deal with expository sessions of theoretical content with graphic-audiovisual support by the teacher. At the same time, the student's participation will be promoted through open questions that allow the consolidation of the student's knowledge. The content of the master classes will consist of the development of the topics and concepts detailed in the syllabus of the subject.
- Class activities and exercises: The fundamental objective is to work on the content of the subject through various sources of work and information and thus create spaces for the exchange of opinions based on real situations of approach that trigger elements of reflexion.
METHODOLOGY:
- Expository method / Master class
- case method
LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
- Theoretical classes
- Practical activities
- Student independent study
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
1st Call:
Partial Exam (40%). 50 multiple choice questions.
Final Exam (40%). 50 multiple choice questions.
Case Method (20%)
2nd Call:
100 multiple choice questions.
Bibliography and resources
Abenza, L. (2012). Psicología y lesiones deportivas: un análisis de factores de prevención, rehabilitación e intervención psicológica. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, 7(19), 70.
Buceta, J.M. (1996). Psicología y lesiones deportivas: Prevención y rehabilitación. Madrid: Dyckinson. (Link a Editorial. Consultar disponibilitat a la Biblioteca).
Krueger, D. (1994). Psicología de la Rehabilitación. Barcelona: Herder.
Ortín, F. J., Garcés de los Fayos, E. J. & Olmedilla, A. (2010). Influencia de los factores psicológicos en las lesiones deportivas. Papeles del Psicólogo, 31(3), 281-288.
Ramírez, A., Alzate, R. & Lázaro, I. (2002). Efectos psicológicos de la lesión deportiva. Revista Motricidad, 9, 209-224
Weinberg, R. S., i Gould, D. (1996). Fundamentos de psicología del deporte y el ejercicio físico. Barcelona: Ariel Psicología.
Williams, J. (1991). Psicología aplicada al deporte. Madrid: Biblioteca nueva.
Evaluation period
- E1 11/06/2025 A15 10:00h
- E1 11/06/2025 A16 10:00h
- E2 03/07/2025 A16 12:00h