title: Foundations of health behavior research revisited.
abstract: This paper revisits the issue of assumptions behind the field of health behavior research. The understanding of constituents of health behaviors and what constitutes health, reasons for placing a value on health, the utility of health behavior research, and the role of the health behavior researcher are reviewed. Conscientiousness and dialectic theory are employed as concepts to provide one potential conceptual solution to participation in self-destructive behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine and Psychology, Institute for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA 91803, USA. ssussma@usc.edu
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sussman
mesh_terms: D035841:Behavioral Research; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States