The Quest for Meaningful Theory in Health Psychology

Abstract

Theories generate questions, which in turn generate findings, which in turn generate articles. Theories in health psychology have successfully generated research activity but with inconclusive results. Avenues for more fruitful exploration are described. One of these suggests that health psychology will alter its focus from the study of what is (description) to the study of what might be (explanation), from what individuals do and say (behaviour) to what that behaviour means (contextuality), from ;social cognitions' (box ticks) to personal subjectivities (mental experience), from the status quo (demographics) to social injustice (structures of power and inequality).