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Health Psychology and Late Life

The Differentiation of Health and Illness for the Study of Health-Related Behaviors

University of Michigan

Literature pertinent to understanding the health psychology and health behaviors of older adults is reviewed. It is proposed that judgments of health and illness status be viewed as separate domains of personal health psychology rather than as endpoints of a single continuum. A process is described in which individuals collect and evaluate information about their "healthiness" and "unhealthiness," that in turn influences health behavior decision making. Emphasis is placed on the process of health behavior, on the need to view health behaviors from a noncrisis perspective, and on the importance of recognizing that ambiguity and uncertainty can legitimately reflect one's situation.

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