APPRAISAL OF HEALTH THREATS - COGNITION, MOTIVATION, AND SOCIAL-COMPARISON

Recent experimental research has examined the determinants of illness-related cognitive appraisals. This work is reviewed and discussed within the context of Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) stress and coping model. The data from this research support and extend the model, but are best accounted for by Leventhal, Nerenz, and Steele's (1984) self-regulation theory of illness behavior. Neither model adequately addresses the role of social comparison and influence, which, together with a motivationally biased system of cognitive appraisal, provides individuals with a highly adaptive repertoire of strategies for maintaining emotional equilibrium and a positive view of their own health status.