Next Steps For Examining The Common-Sense Of Health Behaviour

Modelling the automatic and deliberative processes that interact and underlie common-sense perceptions and behaviours for managing health and illness requires prototypes at multiple levels; specific illnesses and treatments at the 'surface' and generic acute, episodic and chronic prototypes at deeper levels. Models need to represent how multi-level processing can generate inconsistent as well as consistent expectations regarding successful management and how the limited visibility of process affects communication and symptom labelling by practitioners.