Health self-regulation, motivational and volitional aspects of

Health self-regulation refers to the motivational, volitional, and behavioral processes of abandoning health-compromising behaviors in favor of adopting and maintaining health-enhancing behaviors. The article addresses self-regulatory constructs and self-control models that examine how people resist temptations, persist at tasks, cope with adverse emotions, make choices, or overcome undesired impulses. A process model is described that suggests a distinction between preintentional motivation processes that lead to a behavioral intention (goal-setting phase), and post-intentional volition processes that lead to actual behavior (goal pursuit phase).