ABSTRACT
Pause for a moment and inventory your bodily sensations. Perhaps you will find that all is in order and you are feeling quite well. It is more likely, however, that you will notice a symptom or two. You might have a mild headache, for example, or maybe some discomfort and slight swelling in your left knee. Are you concerned about these symptoms? With whom might you consult if you are uncertain about the meaning of your symptoms? People experience physical signs and symptoms on an ongoing basis. These temporal changes in physical condition must be interpreted, and the individual must decide what response, if any, is appropriate. Actually, different questions tend to be salient at each stage of an unfolding illness episode. As we see here, the number of such questions is considerable, and each tends to elicit a defined set of procedures designed to stimulate specific answers. These questions and procedures are part of the “rules” of self-management, specifically, the rules for the clarification and/or definition of a potential health problem (Leventhal & Diefenbach, 1991; Leventhal, Suls, & Leventhal, 1993).
