TY - JOUR
T1 - The Theory of Active Involvement
T2 - Processes Underlying Interventions That Engage Adolescents in Message Planning and/or Production
AU - Greene, Kathryn
N1 - Funding Information:
This publication was supported by grant R21 DA027146 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Rutgers University (grant recipient), Kathryn Greene, principal investigator. The contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The author thanks a number of colleagues, including Itzhak Yanotivzky, who provided suggestions on various versions of this article.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Adolescence is a time of increased risk taking, and recent intervention strategies have included adolescents planning or producing antirisk messages for their peers. Although these projects may generate enthusiasm, we know little about message planning or production as a strategy for changing adolescent decision-making and behavior. This article articulates the Theory of Active Involvement (TAI) to describe and explain the processes through which these active involvement interventions influence adolescents. TAI is based on social cognitive theory's notion of self-regulation and examines multiple perspective taking and activating the self-reflection processes. The theory specifically describes the process of cognitive changes experienced by participants in active involvement interventions. The sequence is conceptualized as starting when engagement with the intervention (arousal and involvement) produces skill and knowledge gains (immediate outcomes) that lead to reflection (perceived discrepancy) and then other cognitions (expectancies, norms, intentions), with the ultimate outcome being behavior change. Engaging the target audience in a process of self-reflection is conceptualized as the crucial ingredient for meaningful and sustainable change in cognitions and behavior. This article provides valuable insight into how active involvement strategies function and how to best design these interventions, particularly those targeting adolescents.
AB - Adolescence is a time of increased risk taking, and recent intervention strategies have included adolescents planning or producing antirisk messages for their peers. Although these projects may generate enthusiasm, we know little about message planning or production as a strategy for changing adolescent decision-making and behavior. This article articulates the Theory of Active Involvement (TAI) to describe and explain the processes through which these active involvement interventions influence adolescents. TAI is based on social cognitive theory's notion of self-regulation and examines multiple perspective taking and activating the self-reflection processes. The theory specifically describes the process of cognitive changes experienced by participants in active involvement interventions. The sequence is conceptualized as starting when engagement with the intervention (arousal and involvement) produces skill and knowledge gains (immediate outcomes) that lead to reflection (perceived discrepancy) and then other cognitions (expectancies, norms, intentions), with the ultimate outcome being behavior change. Engaging the target audience in a process of self-reflection is conceptualized as the crucial ingredient for meaningful and sustainable change in cognitions and behavior. This article provides valuable insight into how active involvement strategies function and how to best design these interventions, particularly those targeting adolescents.
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U2 - 10.1080/10410236.2012.762824
DO - 10.1080/10410236.2012.762824
M3 - Article
C2 - 23980581
AN - SCOPUS:84885383349
SN - 1041-0236
VL - 28
SP - 644
EP - 656
JO - Health Communication
JF - Health Communication
IS - 7
ER -