In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces - extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, and their major practical theoretical contributions. In this volume: Overweight and obesity rates have increased dramatically in most industrialized countries, even though more and more people are chronically dieting. Dieters can manage to lose substantial amounts of weight while actively dieting, but most regain it within a few years. So why do most chronic dieters have such difficulty controlling their weight and why is there only a small minority of successful dieters? To address these questions, Stroebe developed the goal conflict model of eating behavior, a social cognitive theory that attributes the difficulty of chronic dieters to a conflict between two incompatible goals: eating enjoyment and weight control. Although chronic dieters are motivated to pursue their weight control goal, most fail in food-rich environments: Surrounded by palatable food cues that activate thoughts of eating enjoyment, incompatible weight control thoughts are inhibited and weight control intentions are "forgotten". For successful dieters - probably due to past success in exerting self-control - tasty high-calorie food has become associated with weight control thoughts. For them, exposure to palatable food makes weight control thoughts more accessible, enabling them to control their body weight in food-rich environments. This book contains the key articles of a research program by Stroebe and collaborators to assess the validity of this theory. They succeeded in tracing the processes that lead from temptation to a breakdown of dieting intentions. They also demonstrated that these theoretical principles can be used to develop effective weight loss interventions. The book should be of value for all researcgers, students and clinicians involved in obesity research and treatment.

In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces - extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, and their major practical theoretical contributions. In this volume: Overweight and obesity rates have increased dramatically in most industrialized countries, even though more and more people are chronically dieting. Dieters can manage to lose substantial amounts of weight while actively dieting, but most regain it within a few years. So why do most chronic dieters have such difficulty controlling their weight and why is there only a small minority of successful dieters? To address these questions, Stroebe developed the goal conflict model of eating behavior, a social cognitive theory that attributes the difficulty of chronic dieters to a conflict between two incompatible goals: eating enjoyment and weight control. Although chronic dieters are motivated to pursue their weight control goal, most fail in food-rich environments: Surrounded by palatable food cues that activate thoughts of eating enjoyment, incompatible weight control thoughts are inhibited and weight control intentions are "forgotten". For successful dieters - probably due to past success in exerting self-control - tasty high-calorie food has become associated with weight control thoughts. For them, exposure to palatable food makes weight control thoughts more accessible, enabling them to control their body weight in food-rich environments. This book contains the key articles of a research program by Stroebe and collaborators to assess the validity of this theory. They succeeded in tracing the processes that lead from temptation to a breakdown of dieting intentions. They also demonstrated that these theoretical principles can be used to develop effective weight loss interventions. The book should be of value for all researcgers, students and clinicians involved in obesity research and treatment.

This book examines how the social environment affects food choices and intake, and documents the extent to which people are unaware of the significant impact of social factors on their eating. The authors take a unique approach to studying eating behaviors in ordinary circumstances, presenting a theory of normal eating that highlights social influences independent of physiological and taste factors. Among the topics discussed: Modeling of food intake and food choice Consumption stereotypes and impression management Research design, methodology, and ethics of studying eating behaviors What happens when we overeat? Effects of social eating Social Influences on Eating is a useful reference for psychologists and researchers studying food and nutritional psychology, challenging commonly held assumptions about the dynamics of food choice and intake in order to promote a better understanding of the power of social influence on all forms of behavior.

Obesity is one of the most pressing health issues affecting our country. This unique volume is the first to apply behavioral economicsóthe integration of psychological and economic knowledgeóto the study of eating behavior. The text demonstrates how this discipline can be used to understand why it so difficult for individuals to control their eating habits, and helps readers use this knowledge to create and improve public health nutrition programs and policies. The text examines dietary choices and obesity through a multidisciplinary lens of biological, psychological, and social factors, and draws from the disciplines of behavioral economics, nutrition, public health, and health promotion. Based on the premise that humans are hardwired to make judgment errors and need a ìnudgeî to make decisions in their best interests, the book argues that increasing consumer well-being requires changing an individualís personal environment. It describes the power of irrational forces that compete with sensible judgment in regard to food choices, and provides strategies for improving decisions and health habits. Highly accessible, the text will be of interest to students, professors, and practitioners in nutrition-related health programs, as well as to public health policy makers. Key Features: Assesses the social determinants that affect nutrition choices, including food availability, nutrition education, income, culture, and other key factors Demonstrates how flawed decisions and self-control difficulties can affect eating behavior Provides a valuable framework for improving public health through understanding and changing the way individuals make food decisions Explains the link between obesity rates and economics of food choice (fast food, food marketing, and social factors) Provides strategies and tools to help people improve their decision-making and health habits

The Intervention Mapping bible, updated with new theory, trends, and cases Planning Health Promotion Programs is the "bible" of the field, guiding students and practitioners through the planning process from a highly practical perspective. Using an original framework called Intervention Mapping, this book presents a series of steps, tasks, and processes that help you develop effective health promotion and education programs using a variety of approaches. As no single model can accurately predict all health behavior or environmental changes, this book shows you how to choose useful theories and integrate constructs from multiple theories to describe health problems and develop appropriate promotion and education solutions. This new fourth edition has been streamlined for efficiency, with information on the latest theories and trends in public health, including competency-based training and inter-professional education. New examples and case studies show you these concepts in action, and the companion website provides lecture slides, additional case studies, and a test bank to bring this book directly into the classroom. Health education and health promotion is a central function of many public health roles, and new models, theories, and planning approaches are always emerging. This book guides you through the planning process using the latest developments in the field, and a practical approach that serves across discipline boundaries. Merge multiple theories into a single health education solution Learn the methods and processes of intervention planning Gain a practical understanding of multiple planning approaches Get up to date on the latest theories, trends, and developments in the field Both academic and practice settings need a realistic planning handbook based on system, not prescription. Planning Health Promotion Programs is the essential guide to the process, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to develop solutions without a one-size-fits-all approach.

Conflicts between the "head" and the "heart" are very common in everyday life. Over the past decade, research on such self-regulatory conflicts has been strongly shaped by Strack and Deutsch’s 2004 Reflective-Impulsive Model (RIM). The award-winning theory integrates cognitive, affective, and motivational influences on overt behavior, offering a domain-independent framework that is applicable to wide range of social and non-social phenomena. This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of research under the framework of the RIM. Its 15 chapters provide an overview of basic principles of behavior determination, showcase the RIM’s integrative and predictive power in many cross-cutting areas of inquiry, and illustrate the value of the theory for understanding the fundamental role of reflective and impulsive processes in various applied domains. Expanding on an introduction that discusses the significance of the RIM from a historical view, the book is divided into three major sections. The first section covers basic psychological principles within the RIM, including selective accessibility, embodiment, associative and propositional operations, and implementation intentions. The second section reviews the integrative and predictive power of the RIM in many cross-cutting areas of inquiry, including intuition, attitudes, self-control, and personality. Finally, the third section showcases the generative power of the RIM in various applied areas, including research on health behavior, addiction, anxiety, economic behavior, sexual behavior, and aggression. In its entirety, this volume provides an indispensable resource for any scholar interested in the psychological underpinnings of reflective and impulsive behavior in various areas of inquiry.

In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts themselves present career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces - extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, and their major practical theoretical contributions. In this volume Arie Kruglanski reflects on the development throughout his distinguished career of his wide-ranging research covering radicalisation, human judgement and belief formation, group and intergroup processes, and motivated cognition. This collection offers an invaluable insight into the key works behind the formation of Kruglanski’s seminal theory of lay epistemics, as well as his important input into a diverse range of fields of social psychology. A specially written introduction gives an intimate overview of this career, and contextualises the selection in relation to changes in the field during this time. With continuing relevance today, and of vast historical importance, this collection is essential reading for anyone with an interest in goals, belief formation, group processes, and social psychology in general.

A food psychologist identifies hidden factors, motivations, and cues that cause overeating and offers practical solutions to help avoid these hidden traps and enjoy food without putting on excess pounds.

The current volume brings together social psychological theories and concepts and discusses their relevance to understanding substance use and addiction. It identifies convergence points between traditional perspectives on addiction and social psychological theory and research. This coexistence, which acknowledges the value of the conceptual and methodological advancements in each relevant field and attempts to integrate them, promotes scientific understanding and a more effective prevention and treatment of addiction.

Why do so many people become overweight and obese and why do they find it so difficult to lose weight? In this second edition of his influential book on Dieting, Overweight and Obesity, Wolfgang Stroebe – who developed the goal conflict model of eating – explores the physiological, environmental and psychological influence on weight gain and examines how these processes are affected by genetic factors. Like the first edition, the book takes a social-cognitive approach to weight regulation and discusses how exposure to environmental cues can set-off overeating in chronic dieters. In addition to extensively revising and updating the chapters of the first edition, this second edition features three new chapters. The chapter on successful restrained eating reviews personality factors as well as recent experimental research on impulse control. The chapters on psychological treatment of obesity and on primary prevention describe and evaluate the various treatment and prevention approaches and the research conducted to assess their efficacy. This book is essential reading for students, researchers and clinicians interested in an up-to-date review of the field of eating research and a new theoretical approach to the study of overweight and obesity.