1. The social cognitive theories help understand why individuals partake in health compromising or health promoting activities. The health belief theory suggests that there are several factors involved in health behaviours. It includes perceived susceptibility of the health threat, unrealistic optimistic biases of health threat, perceived severity of the health threat and the benefits and barriers in adopting this health behaviour. Cues to action influence health behaviours such as advice and advertised health campaigns. The inclusion of self efficacy forms the protection motivation theory of health. Self efficacy is the perceived ability to perform the behaviour successfully. Theory of reasoned action suggests that for a behaviour to be performed there must be an intention. Attitudes, beliefs that certain behaviours lead to certain consequences and subjective norms, perceived judgement of behaviour from significant others influence behavioural intention. The inclusion of self efficacy …show more content…
Stress can impact a person's psychological wellbeing such as their memory. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are in charge of working and long-term memory respectively. Stress often hinders their functioning and long-term stress can eventuate in cell death. Stress promotes negative health behaviours such as smoking, drinking and irregular exercise leading to a weakened immune system and exposure to pathogens. Stress affects how people interpret ambiguous symptoms. Some may take it too seriously and become overwhelmed by minor symptoms, while others behave oppositely. Personality traits influence stress in the way people handle stress . Individuals at age three described as aggressive and impulsive also displayed high-risk behaviours associated with stress at age twenty-one. Type A behaviour pattern is a hostile personality and is associated with heart disease. Pessimists don't look after themselves and therefore have weakened bodily