This introduction to health psychology is concerned with the problems that confront normal people during the course of their everyday lives, rather than mental illness or behavioural abnormalities. The text emphasizes the development of preventive treatment and programmes of health care which will improve the quality of life and develop in individuals the competence to cope with pain, stress and depression. The first section of the book investigates how psychology informs the process of interaction with patients. Throughout this section there are a number of practical exercises which it is hoped will encourage the reader to gain insight into the psychology of interpersonal communication. The text then deals with the psychological components of basic personal experiences, such as pain and stress, and explains basic features of health behaviour and pain and stress management. The final section of the text concentrates on the differences in behaviour that occur as a result of age, the stresses that result from working in an organizational setting, and the effects of environment and culture on behaviour.