Health Promotion from the Perspective of Social Cognitive Theory

This chapter examines health promotion and disease prevention from the perspective of social cognitive theory. This theory posits a multifaceted causal structure in which self-efficacy beliefs operate in concert with cognized goals, outcome expectations, and perceived environmental impediments and facilitators in the regulation of human motivation, action, and well-being. Perceived self-efficacy is a key factor in the causal structure because it operates on motivation and action both directly and through its impact on the other determinants. The areas of overlap of sociocognitive determinants with some of the most widely applied psychosocial models of health are identified. Social cognitive theory addresses the sociostructural determinants of health as well as the personal determinants. A comprehensive approach to health promotion requires changing the practices of social systems that have widespread detrimental effects on health rather than solely changing the habits of individuals. Further progress in this field requires building new structures for health promotion, new systems for risk reduction and greater emphasis on health policy initiatives. People's beliefs in their collective efficacy to accomplish social change, therefore, play a key role in the policy and public health perspective to health promotion and disease prevention. Bandura, A. (1998). Health promotion from the perspective of social cognitive theory. Psychology and Health, 13, 623-649.