Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety

Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety critically examines how psychological and sociocultural processes influence anxiety and safety-seeking behaviour concerning perceived health risks in globalised information societies. It provides insights into how people respond to uncertainty and perceived th...

Popoln opis

Shranjeno v:
Bibliografske podrobnosti
Glavni avtor: Csabai, Márta
Format: Online
Jezik:angleščina
Izdano: Taylor & Francis 2026
Teme:
Online dostop:https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111796
Oznake: Označite
Brez oznak, prvi označite!
_version_ 1869518973161177088
author Csabai, Márta
author_browse Csabai, Márta
author_facet Csabai, Márta
author_sort Csabai, Márta
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety critically examines how psychological and sociocultural processes influence anxiety and safety-seeking behaviour concerning perceived health risks in globalised information societies. It provides insights into how people respond to uncertainty and perceived threats to their body and health in the 'age of anxiety'. In examining the history of health anxiety, the author explores fluctuations in concepts, highlighting the power dynamics, uncertainties, and biased social and scientific attitudes in the background. The chapters offer a critical analysis of contemporary safety-seeking strategies, including online health information searches, fad diets, self-tracking, body image interventions, and the pursuit of personal meaning and well-being. Additionally, the book investigates how sociocultural influences can induce guilt about one’s body and health, promote self-blame, or foster stigmatising attitudes, while emphasising how the emergence of 'psy-culture', pop psychology, and digital tools may enhance health empowerment but also generate health-related anxieties and deepen inequalities. As a critical reflection on prevailing individualistic paradigms, the work also considers concepts that emphasise resonance and connectedness. This book is valuable reading for clinical and health psychologists, critical social scientists, researchers, and students in the health sciences, as well as practitioners in all healthcare settings, psychotherapists, and communication specialists.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-173596
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Taylor & Francis
publisherStr Taylor & Francis
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1735962026-06-21T05:24:05Z Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety Csabai, Márta Psychosocial risk factors Hypochondria Body image research Digital health behaviours Stigma and self-blame Fad diet psychology Resonance theory Sociocultural influences on anxiety thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBN Public health and preventive medicine::MBNH Personal and public health / health education::MBNH9 Health psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMP Abnormal psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBF Social and ethical issues::JBFN Health, illness and addiction: social aspects thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMH Social, group or collective psychology thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MQ Nursing and ancillary services::MQC Nursing::MQCL Nursing specialties::MQCL5 Psychiatric nursing / Mental health nursing thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MK Medical specialties, branches of medicine::MKM Clinical psychology::MKMT Psychotherapy thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBS Medical sociology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology thema EDItEUR::V Health, Relationships and Personal development::VF Family and health::VFD Popular medicine and health thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety critically examines how psychological and sociocultural processes influence anxiety and safety-seeking behaviour concerning perceived health risks in globalised information societies. It provides insights into how people respond to uncertainty and perceived threats to their body and health in the 'age of anxiety'. In examining the history of health anxiety, the author explores fluctuations in concepts, highlighting the power dynamics, uncertainties, and biased social and scientific attitudes in the background. The chapters offer a critical analysis of contemporary safety-seeking strategies, including online health information searches, fad diets, self-tracking, body image interventions, and the pursuit of personal meaning and well-being. Additionally, the book investigates how sociocultural influences can induce guilt about one’s body and health, promote self-blame, or foster stigmatising attitudes, while emphasising how the emergence of 'psy-culture', pop psychology, and digital tools may enhance health empowerment but also generate health-related anxieties and deepen inequalities. As a critical reflection on prevailing individualistic paradigms, the work also considers concepts that emphasise resonance and connectedness. This book is valuable reading for clinical and health psychologists, critical social scientists, researchers, and students in the health sciences, as well as practitioners in all healthcare settings, psychotherapists, and communication specialists. 2026-03-19T13:23:04Z 2026-03-19T13:23:04Z 2026-03-17T10:34:19Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111796 9781040527337 9781040686560 9781003517788 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/173596 eng Critical Approaches to Health open access image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg n/a n/a n/a n/a https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/111796/1/9781040527337.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/111796/1/9781040527337.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/111796/1/9781040527337.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/111796/1/9781040527337.pdf Taylor & Francis Routledge 10.4324/9781003517788 10.4324/9781003517788 fa69b019-f4ee-4979-8d42-c6b6c476b5f0 9781040527337 9781040686560 9781003517788 Knowledge Unlatched (KU) KU Select 2026 Routledge 164 Oxford open access
spellingShingle Psychosocial risk factors
Hypochondria
Body image research
Digital health behaviours
Stigma and self-blame
Fad diet psychology
Resonance theory
Sociocultural influences on anxiety
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBN Public health and preventive medicine::MBNH Personal and public health / health education::MBNH9 Health psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMP Abnormal psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBF Social and ethical issues::JBFN Health, illness and addiction: social aspects
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMH Social, group or collective psychology
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MQ Nursing and ancillary services::MQC Nursing::MQCL Nursing specialties::MQCL5 Psychiatric nursing / Mental health nursing
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MK Medical specialties, branches of medicine::MKM Clinical psychology::MKMT Psychotherapy
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBS Medical sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::V Health, Relationships and Personal development::VF Family and health::VFD Popular medicine and health
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
Csabai, Márta
Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title_full Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title_fullStr Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title_full_unstemmed Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title_short Health Anxiety and the Quest for Safety
title_sort health anxiety and the quest for safety
topic Psychosocial risk factors
Hypochondria
Body image research
Digital health behaviours
Stigma and self-blame
Fad diet psychology
Resonance theory
Sociocultural influences on anxiety
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBN Public health and preventive medicine::MBNH Personal and public health / health education::MBNH9 Health psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMP Abnormal psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBF Social and ethical issues::JBFN Health, illness and addiction: social aspects
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMH Social, group or collective psychology
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MQ Nursing and ancillary services::MQC Nursing::MQCL Nursing specialties::MQCL5 Psychiatric nursing / Mental health nursing
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MK Medical specialties, branches of medicine::MKM Clinical psychology::MKMT Psychotherapy
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBS Medical sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::V Health, Relationships and Personal development::VF Family and health::VFD Popular medicine and health
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
topic_facet Psychosocial risk factors
Hypochondria
Body image research
Digital health behaviours
Stigma and self-blame
Fad diet psychology
Resonance theory
Sociocultural influences on anxiety
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBN Public health and preventive medicine::MBNH Personal and public health / health education::MBNH9 Health psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMP Abnormal psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBF Social and ethical issues::JBFN Health, illness and addiction: social aspects
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology::JMH Social, group or collective psychology
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MQ Nursing and ancillary services::MQC Nursing::MQCL Nursing specialties::MQCL5 Psychiatric nursing / Mental health nursing
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MK Medical specialties, branches of medicine::MKM Clinical psychology::MKMT Psychotherapy
thema EDItEUR::M Medicine and Nursing::MB Medicine: general issues::MBS Medical sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::V Health, Relationships and Personal development::VF Family and health::VFD Popular medicine and health
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
url https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111796
work_keys_str_mv AT csabaimarta healthanxietyandthequestforsafety