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Illness cognition: Using common sense to understand treatment adherence and affect cognition interactions

Cognitive Therapy and Research volume 16, pages 143–163 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

We summarize basic empirical themes from studies of adherence to medical regimens and propose a self-regulatory model for conceptualizing the adherence process. The model posits that self-regulation is a function of the representation of health threats and the targets for ongoing coping (symptom reduction, temporal expectancies for change) set by the representation, the procedures to regulate these targets, and the appraisal of coping outcomes. The underlying cognitive mechanism is assumed to function at both a concrete (symptom-based schemata) and abstract level (disease labels), and individuals often engage in biased testing while attempting to establish a coherent representation of a health threat. It also is postulated that cognitive and emotional processes form partially independent processing systems. The coherence of the system, or the common-sense integration of its parts, is seen as crucial for the maintenance of behavioral change. The coherence concept is emphasized in examples applying the model to panic and hypochondriacal disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute For Health, Rutgers University, PO Box 5070, 08903-5070, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Howard Leventhal & Michael Diefenbach

  2. University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, USA

    Elaine A. Leventhal

Authors
  1. Howard Leventhal
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  2. Michael Diefenbach
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  3. Elaine A. Leventhal
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Additional information

Preparation of this manuscript was supported by grant AG 03501, and funds from The MacArthur Foundation Network on Health Promoting and Health Damaging Behavior. We would like to thank the Subcommittee on Risk and Worry, especially Daniel Kahneman, George Lowenstein, Jack Rachman, Judith Rodin, and Terry Wilson, of the MacArthur Health and Behavior Network for their stimulating discussion which contributed to the development of the ideas here presented.

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Leventhal, H., Diefenbach, M. & Leventhal, E.A. Illness cognition: Using common sense to understand treatment adherence and affect cognition interactions. Cogn Ther Res 16, 143–163 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173486

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173486

Key words

  • illness cognition
  • self-regulation
  • system coherence
  • common-sense models