Discussion

The following discussion  is based on the video “And the Band Played On”.

1-2 paragraphs
After watching the video, respond to the following:
•  Do you think that the history of the disease AIDS would be different if the initial population affected had been a group other than gay men, e.g. children or heterosexual women?
•  The gay men in the video initially opposed the closing of the bath houses even though there was strong evidence that the disease was being spread through sexual contact. Why do you think they took this stand?
•  Why do you think it was so difficult to get the healthcare community to agree to testing blood for evidence of HIV?
Disscussion two
1. “Stress management” is a term that we often hear, accompanied by programs that promise to teach techniques for proactively avoiding stress as well as coping skills for dealing with situations that cause stress. Some people take advantage of stress management programs while others don’t see the value in them. Describe why an individual might choose to learn how to better manage stress from the perspectives of the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action.
2. What does health locus of control contribute to our perceptions of the causes of stress? Discuss how an individual’s perceived locus of control contributes to their experience of stress.
3. Stress is increasingly being discussed in terms of the role it plays in illness. What do you see as the benefit and the risks of discussing stress and its relationship to illness? Consider how stress is diagnosed and treated from the perspective of medicalization.