Theory Comparison
Nicole Mortensen
California Baptist University
Section 1:
1. Health Belief Model:
The Health Belief Model is a model, which takes a psychological approach, which explains and predicts health behaviors similar to learned behaviors. Created by Doctors Irwin Rosenstock, Godfrey Hochbaum, Stephen Kegeles, and Howard Leventhal of the United States Health Department created The Health Belief Model in the 1950s (LaMorte, 2016). This model focuses on the need to avoid illness and the belief that a specific treatment will cure and prevent a disease. Barriers of this model may be an individuals beliefs or attitude towards their current health behaviors. This model turns learned health behaviors into positively changed health behaviors. The Health Belief model is a beneficial structure to use because it allows individuals to perceived benefits meaning individuals believe that the actions they take to live a healthier lifestyle will then lead to actually living a healthier lifestyle.
2. Social Cognitive Theory:
The Social Cognitive Theory created by Albert Bandura in the early 1960’s and then later developed in 1986, has to do with understanding behavioral change through an emotional aspect. “The social cognitive theory explains how people acquire and maintain certain behavioral patterns, while also providing the basis for intervention strategies” (Bandura, 1997). There are three factors that affect this theories outcome. These include individuals, behaviors, and environment. The social cognitive theory does observe human behaviors and analyzes possible outcomes due to these specific behaviors.
3. Transtheoretical Model of Change
The Transtheoretical Model of Change states that individual behaviors, especially, habitual behaviors can change over a period of time. Prochaska and DiClemente base this model off of a clinical study in the 1970’s, which explored the behaviors of smokers as they began to quit. This study showed that behaviors could be changed over a set of clinical processes. This process includes the changes in behavior over six cycles. These cycles include pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination (LaMorte, 2016). The downfall to this testing is that outcomes can be different based on an individuals socioeconomic status as well as other factors.
4. Theory of Planned Behavior
The Theory of Planned behavior is a theory that is focused on an individual’s intent. This discusses how someone will react in a certain time where self-control can be used to detour from the action. There are six major characteristics that structure this theory. These include an individual’s attitude, behavioral intentions, social norms, the subjective norms, perceived behavior, and perceived power (LaMonte, 2016). By understanding an individual’s actions and the drives behind these actions we can also better understand how to change a certain social behavior.
Section 2:
All of these models focus on changing an individual’s behaviors through physiological theories. They all also focus on bettering someone’s health by changing bad behaviors. The social cognitive theory and the health belief model take more of an emotional approach through learned actions. The transtheoretical theory and the theory of planned behavior do take more time as they observe the triggers of learned behaviors before actually changing the actions. Each model approaches a situation differently but all of the same outcomes are expected.
Section 3: Note key differences (i.e., distinctive features) between the theories in general, and more importantly, their main constructs.
Major difference between each theory include is that the Health Belief model changes someone’s actions by believing in a certain remedy path. The social cognitive theory changes actions by emotionally looking at the situation. The transtheorteical theory believes that there is a cure based in a six-phase cycle. Lastly, the theory of planned behavior explores the change of behavior by predicting and averting the behavioral intent. All of these theories can be effective in real life social behaviors in order to make someone stop negative health behaviors.
References:
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press.
LaMorte, W. W. (2016, April 28). “The Health Belief Model.” BU School of Business. Retrieved from http:// sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangTheories2.html.
LaMorte, W. W. (2016, April 28). Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change). BU School of Business. Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories6.html
LaMorte, W. W. (2016, April 28). The Theory of Planned Behaviors BU School of Business. Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories3.html