Self-regulation assessment and intervention in physical health and illness: A review

Self-regulation can be defined as a goal-guidance process aimed at the attainment and maintenance of personal goals. In this article three phases are distinguished in this process: (a) goal selection, setting and construal/representation; (b) active goal pursuit; and (c) goal attainment and maintenance or, when appropriate, goal disengagement. These phases are used as a structure for the present review. For each phase, assessment instruments and interventions are described. The article concludes with directions for future research concerning self-regulation assessment and interventions, including 15 intervention principles which can be used as rules of thumb for the development of interventions in chronic illness management and in health promotion.