Employing illness perceptions and mindsets in health contexts: towards an integrative framework.

Abstract

Beliefs about illness powerfully shape how people experience and respond to health conditions. The dominant theory underpinning illness perception - Leventhal's Common-Sense Model - proposes that individuals construct cognitive representations of illness based on specific beliefs about its features and likely course (e.g., symptom severity, timeline, controllability). These perceptions predict key outcomes, including functioning, quality of life, emotional distress, and treatment adherence. Mindsets are related but distinct: they are broader, more abstract beliefs about the nature and meaning of illness (e.g., viewing cancer as 'manageable' or 'a catastrophe'). While the illness perception literature is well established, mindset research in the health context is more recent, with promising findings and emerging tools for intervention. In this paper, we critically review both constructs, highlight their complementary strengths and limitations, and propose an integrative framework that unites them. We argue that combining these perspectives can sharpen measurement, deepen theoretical understanding, and enhance the impact of belief-based interventions in healthcare.