Theories Contributed to Health Psychology - Literature review Example

Health psychology: contributing theories al affiliation Health psychology: Contributing theories Behavioral change in people is mostly caused by the growth of a personal sense of control, which makes a person believe that they can be actively involved in solving their own problems. In health matters, people also tend to believe that certain phenomena within them or in their environment are responsible for causing them certain illnesses. Accordingly, if a person feels that they can control these phenomena in the environment, then they are bound to change their behavior in as far as health matters are concerned. These feelings of control over one’s health and the subsequent changes in health behavior could have important implications on the relationship between patients and health professionals (Conner & Norman, 2005). This paper aims to look at some of the theories of predicting behavioral change and analyze how these theories have contributed to the development of health psychology. Ideally, the paper will focus on the attribution theory, self-efficacy, and the health locus of control models. Attribution theory The attribution theory of health behavior provides that people tend to find causal explanations for particular unexpected events in their lives. Accordingly, people will always have causal explanations for particular illnesses affecting them. In the same way, an ill person who is having causal explanations for their illness often tends to think that they have a large degree of control over the illness (Khatoon, 2012). Basically, the attribution model is based on four aspects. The first aspect is concerned with the locus, that is, the extent to which the cause of illness is localized either inside or outside the person. The second aspect has to do with controllability, which refers to the degree to which the ill person can control the cause of illness. The third aspect is concerned with Stability, which looks at whether the control of health behavior remains stable or may change over time. Ayers et.al (2007) gives the example of a person who quits smoking as a way of adopting healthier behavior. The focus in this case is whether the reasons for quitting smoking are stable or they will change over time. The last aspect concerns whether the causes of health events are specific or global. If global, the causes of health issues will affect other areas of the patients life, but if the causes are specific, then the health issues will not affect others areas of the patient’s life. According to Bowling (2009) the attribution theory is based on the notion that people perceive the occurrence of events as predictable and controllable. Similarly, people tend to attribute the causes of certain events to be their own responsibility or of others. According to Khatoon (2012) the basic principles of the attribution theory have to do with the locus of cause, the controllability of the causes, and the stability of control. Ogden (2012) gives the example of an alcoholic who believes that they are the cause of the alcoholism (internal locus of cause), yet they believe that a health professional has it in their power to make them well again (external locus of control). The attribution theory has been instrumental in the development of health psychology, since the attributions made by people definitely influence and determine their future health behaviors. Walker et.al (2007) states that if a person attributes the causes of illness to their own activities and perceives these causes as stable and global, then the person becomes depressed. As a result, they become withdrawn and do not find ways of controlling the causes and finding positive outcomes. On the other hand, a person who sees the health problem as having being caused by external factors; perceives it as unstable and specific, is likely to actively find a solution to these causes. Ideally, such a person achieves better health outcomes. However, the attribution theory is subject to a few criticisms, especially concerning the role of personality factors in behavior change. Most attributers tend to ignore the role played by circumstantial factors in determining behavior control. Making people feel responsible for the occurrence of certain health issues in their lives could have severely negative effects on health provision. Walker et.al (2007) exemplifies a patient who is worried about a particular illness. This patient goes to the doctor for the latter to assess the origin of the warning signs and the doctor failing to find any cause for alarm classifies the patient as being a hypochondriac. Health locus of control This is a model of health psychology that addresses the degree to which people perceive their health as being controlled by either inner or external aspects. According to the health locus of control perspective, people tend to attribute the causes of their illnesses to certain phenomena, thus holding certain beliefs for the responsibility of outcomes. This theory tends to look at whether people feel in control of their illnesses or they leave such control to other people, especially health professionals. Essentially, the word “locus” refers to the location of control, whether internal or external Walker (2001). The control or lack of by an individual over their health determines how such an individual relates to health professionals. Essentially, the responsibility for or control of health issues could be internal (personal responsibility) or external (the responsibility of powerful others or chance). Internal control means that the individual feels can control the outcomes of their health. External control on the other hand means that the individual places the control of their health outcomes on either a powerful person, such as a health professional or on chance. As a result, there is a belief that the attainment of positive health outcomes means that the individual has a personal responsibility towards positive outcomes, but is also willing to seek advice from health professionals on how to attain positive health outcomes. Generally, external control on chance is seen to produce negative outcomes, such as failure to prevent illness or engage in protective measures. For example, chance control could lead to depression especially if the patient is suffering from a chronic illness (Walker et.al, 2007). The contribution of the locus of control theory on health psychology cannot be underestimated. Health psychologists according to Conner & Norman (2005) believe that internal locus of health control makes people adopt healthier behaviors that are likely to prevent illness. On the contrary, people who place the locus of health control on external factors tend to be more relaxed towards adopting health behaviors that will ensure the promotion of their health. Therefore, the locus of control model is very useful in predicting whether internal loci of control can lead to better health behaviors, thus largely influencing the field of heath psychology. Criticism of the locus model of health There is no clear distinction between the locus of control being external or internal: the two tend to overlap. A person may decide to go to the doctor because they believe that the latter has power over their health (external) or because they feel the need to look after their own health (internal). Secondly, the placement of the locus of control on the internal factors does not always lead to better health behaviors. People are naturally different, in that some people place more emphasis on healthy behavior than others. As a result, the internality or externality of the locus of control does not really affect behavior change. Since internal locus of control is associated with higher self-esteem, it does not mean that less confident people are unwilling to change their health behavior (Ayers et.al, 2007). Self-efficacy Self-efficacy in health psychology holds that people often believe that they can cause health tribulations to themselves and are thus capable of controlling such problems. Therefore, such people are more actively involved in finding solutions to their health problems. Fundamentally, the self-efficacy model of health psychology is seen as an optimistic view of the capacity of a person to deal with health problems (Ayers et.al, 2007). Consequently, people are in a quest to attain specific knowledge and skills to permit them manage such health problems and attain positive outcomes. The acquisition of such knowledge leads to a change in health-related behavior. Therefore, self-efficacy is all about structured awareness about oneself. It should, however, be noted that self-efficacy and the process of behavior change depends largely personality, yet specific tasks and the context in which the individual performs these tasks also control behavior change . The self-efficacy model according to Walker (2001) is very important in predicting behavior change in relation to health matters. Similarly, this model has contributed a lot to the field of health psychology in that patients, especially those suffering from chronic illness feel motivated to control their illnesses. In view of that, self-efficacy often leads to the adoptability and sustainability of interventions for enhancing self-control over the illness. This means that patients with chronic illnesses, but who have self-efficacy are less likely to suffer from depression and other mental and psychological conditions. It has also been noted that self-efficacy leads to better and improved health habits among ill people, even without such people seeking external treatment. For example, a person suffering from obesity or drug use could decide to change their lifestyle, by engaging in healthy behavior such as exercising more or progressively ceasing taking drugs (Bowling, 2009). This means that the solutions to such problems all lie in the psychology of the individual. Nonetheless, the self-efficacy model, though it emphasizes on the role of personal skills and knowledge in controlling ill health, should not sideline the role played by health professionals. In as much as self-efficacy is important in dealing with health issues, health professionals need to give guidance on how to go about achieving the desired results. This ensures a healthy relationship between the health professional and the patient, thus positive outcomes. Conclusion It is evident that every person at one point in their lives may engage in behavioral change in relation to health matters. Most of the times, such behavior is aimed at preventing a disease or controlling an already existing one. Ogden (2012) is of the opinion that by engaging in behavior change, most people’s aim of maintaining good health is achievable. Clearly, the association between a health professional and a patient is highly determined by the role played by both in determining the causes and means of controlling illnesses. Health psychology, judging by the three models discussed above, is primarily determined by the willingness of the individual to change their health behavior. To achieve this behavior change, the individual needs to acknowledge the role that themselves play and that played by health professionals. In the end, the causes and control of health problems are primarily related to the psychological beliefs of a person. The manner in which a person perceives the causes of health issues determines how the person will control the said issues. References Ayers, S., Baum, A., Chris, M., Newman, S., Wallston, K., Weinman, J., & West, R. (2007). Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bowling, A. (2009). Research Methods in Health. New York: McGraw Hill International. Conner, M., & Norman, P. (2005). Predicting Health Behavior. New York: McGraw Hill International. Khatoon, N. (2012). Health Psychology. New Delhi: Pearson Education India. Ogden, J. (2012). Health Psychology: A Textbook. New York: McGraw Hill International. Walker, J. (2001). Control and the Psychology of Health: Theory, Measurement and Applications. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Walker, J., Payne, S., Smith, P., & Jarrett, N. (2007). Psychology for Nurses and the Caring Professions. New York: McGraw Hill International. Read More