Motivational intervention in health psychology: a review of the conceptual foundations, definition, evolution and current state

A conceptualization is presented of Motivational Intervention based upon the analysis of occurrences which are part and parcel of the Motivational Process, and some motivational micro-theories are mentioned as well which propose a variety of hypothetical constructs and intervening variables accounting for the course that healthy behavior follows within the lifestyles of people, comprising what is considered to be a Psychological Dimension of Health Promotion and Prevention. An approach to the definition of Motivational Intervention is provided, and to support it and contextualize it, a model of Motivational Formulation is proposed. The topics to which Motivational Intervention has been applied throughout the formal and systematic existence of the concept are described, as well as issues of current theoretical and methodological analyses, by analyzing reports including both terms (Motivational, & Intervention) in the abstracts of indexed publications in the Medline database, between 1991 and 2013.