Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Psychology of Habit pp 285–303Cite as

The Role of Habits in Maladaptive Behaviour and Therapeutic Interventions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Habits prevent flexible behavioural adjustments when the consequences are no longer desirable or even harmful, and as such may play an important role in health-related behaviours but also in psychopathologies like substance abuse or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that some people are more prone than others to act out of habit, and experimental research has linked this ‘habit propensity’ to certain psychopathologies. We will provide a review of recent research into maladaptive habits in health- and clinical psychology and suggest that these two fields can benefit from each other’s methodologies and insights. We will discuss the theoretical and practical implications for therapeutic interventions, and point out promising avenues for future investigations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abramowitz, J. S. (1996). Variants of exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis. Behavior Therapy, 27(4), 583–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adams, C. D. (1982). Variations in the sensitivity of instrumental responding to reinforcer devaluation. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 34(2), 77–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adriaanse, M. A., van Oosten, J. M., de Ridder, D. T., de Wit, J. B., & Evers, C. (2011). Planning what not to eat: Ironic effects of implementation intentions negating unhealthy habits. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(1), 69–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adriaanse, M. A., Vinkers, C. D., De Ridder, D. T., Hox, J. J., & De Wit, J. B. (2011). Do implementation intentions help to eat a healthy diet? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Appetite, 56(1), 183–193.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alvares, G. A., Balleine, B. W., & Guastella, A. J. (2014). Impairments in goal-directed actions predict treatment response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder. PLoS One, 9(4), e94778.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Armitage, C. J. (2008). A volitional help sheet to encourage smoking cessation: A randomized exploratory trial. Health Psychology, 27(5), 557–566.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armitage, C. J. (2016). Evidence that implementation intentions can overcome the effects of smoking habits. Health Psychology, 35(9), 935–943.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bargh, J. (1994). The four horsemen of automaticity: Intention, awareness, efficiency, and control as separate issues. In R. Wyer & T. Srull (Eds.), Handbook of social cognition. Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bate, K. S., Malouff, J. M., Thorsteinsson, E. T., & Bhullar, N. (2011). The efficacy of habit reversal therapy for tics, habit disorders, and stuttering: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(5), 865–871.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bélanger-Gravel, A., Godin, G., & Amireault, S. (2013). A meta-analytic review of the effect of implementation intentions on physical activity. Health Psychology Review, 7(1), 23–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandstätter, V., Lengfelder, A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2001). Implementation intentions and efficient action initiation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(5), 946–960.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, J., Armitage, C. J., & Norman, P. (2009). Comparing implementation intention interventions in relation to young adults’ intake of fruit and vegetables. Psychology and Health, 24(3), 317–332.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, S., & Jessop, D. (2010). Spontaneous implementation intentions and impulsivity: Can impulsivity moderate the effectiveness of planning strategies? British Journal of Health Psychology, 15(3), 529–541.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, S., & Jessop, D. C. (2011). Too impulsive for implementation intentions? Evidence that impulsivity moderates the effectiveness of an implementation intention intervention. Psychology and Health, 26(5), 517–530.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corbit, L. H., Nie, H., & Janak, P. H. (2012). Habitual alcohol seeking: Time course and the contribution of subregions of the dorsal striatum. Biological Psychiatry, 72(5), 389–395.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • de Wit, S., Barker, R. A., Dickinson, A., & Cools, R. (2011). Habitual versus goal-directed action control in Parkinson disease. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23(5), 1218–1229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Wit, S., & Dickinson, A. (2009). Associative theories of goal-directed behaviour: A case for animal–human translational models. Psychological Research, 73(4), 463–476.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • de Wit, S., Kindt, M., Knot, S. L., Verhoeven, A. A. C., Robbins, T. W., Gasull-Camos, J., et al. (2018). Shifting the balance between goals and habits: Five failures in experimental habit induction. Journal of Experimental Psychology – General, 147(7), 1043–1065.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • de Wit, S., Watson, P., Harsay, H. A., Cohen, M. X., van de Vijver, I., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2012). Corticostriatal connectivity underlies individual differences in the balance between habitual and goal-directed action control. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(35), 12066–12075.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, A. N., & Spiller, S. A. (2012). Too much of a good thing: The benefits of implementation intentions depend on the number of goals. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(3), 600–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danner, U. N., Aarts, H., Vries, N. K., & de Vries, N. K. (2008). Habit vs. intention in the prediction of future behaviour: The role of frequency, context stability and mental accessibility of past behaviour. The British Journal of Social Psychology, 47(2), 245–265.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Bruijn, G. (2010). Understanding college students’ fruit consumption. Integrating habit strength in the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 54(1), 16–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delorme, C., Salvador, A., Voon, V., Roze, E., Vidailhet, M., Hartmann, A., et al. (2016). Illusion of agency in patients with gilles de la tourette syndrome. Cortex, 77, 132–140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deroche-Gamonet, V. (2004). Evidence for addiction-like behavior in the rat. Science, 305(5686), 1014–1017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson, A., Wood, N., & Smith, J. W. (2002). Alcohol seeking by rats: Action or habit? The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 55(4), 331–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich, A., De Wit, S., & Horstmann, A. (2016). General habit propensity relates to the sensation seeking subdomain of impulsivity but not obesity. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10(213), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ersche, K. D., Gillan, C. M., Jones, P. S., Williams, G. B., Ward, L. H. E., Luijten, M., et al. (2016). Carrots and sticks fail to change behavior in cocaine addiction. Science (New York, N.Y.), 352(6292), 1468–1471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Everitt, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2015). Drug addiction: Updating actions to habits to compulsions ten years on. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 23–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fineberg, N. A., Potenza, M. N., Chamberlain, S. R., Berlin, H. A., Menzies, L., Bechara, A., et al. (2010). Probing compulsive and impulsive behaviors, from animal models to endophenotypes: A narrative review. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(3), 591–604.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fritzsche, A., Schlier, B., Oettingen, G., & Lincoln, T. M. (2016). Mental contrasting with implementation intentions increases goal-attainment in individuals with mild to moderate depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 40(4), 557–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, B., Abraham, C., Lally, P., & de Bruijn, G. (2012). Towards parsimony in habit measurement: Testing the convergent and predictive validity of an automaticity subscale of the self-report habit index. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9(1), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gawrilow, C., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2008). Implementation intentions facilitate response inhibition in children with ADHD. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32(2), 261–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillan, C. M., Morein-Zamir, S., Urcelay, G. P., Sule, A., Voon, V., Apergis-Schoute, A. M., et al. (2014). Enhanced avoidance habits in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 75(8), 631–638.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gillan, C. M., Papmeyer, M., Morein-Zamir, S., Sahakian, B. J., Fineberg, N. A., Robbins, T. W., et al. (2011). Disruption in the balance between goal-directed behavior and habit learning in obsessive-compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(7), 718–726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godier, L. R., de Wit, S., Pinto, A., Steinglass, J. E., Greene, A. L., Scaife, J., et al. (2016). An investigation of habit learning in Anorexia Nervosa. Psychiatry Research, 244, 214–222.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gollwitzer, P. M. (1993). Goal achievement: The role of intentions. European review of social psychology, 4(1), 141–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagger, M. S., Lonsdale, A., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2012). A theory-based intervention to reduce alcohol drinking in excess of guideline limits among undergraduate students. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17(1), 18–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hagger, M. S., Lonsdale, A., Koka, A., Hein, V., Pasi, H., Lintunen, T., et al. (2012). An intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in undergraduate students using implementation intentions and mental simulations: A cross-national study. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 19(1), 82–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hagger, M. S., & Luszczynska, A. (2014). Implementation intention and action planning interventions in health contexts: State of the research and proposals for the way forward. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 6(1), 1–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagger, M. S., Luszczynska, A., de Wit, J., Benyamini, Y., Burkert, S., Chamberland, P., et al. (2016). Implementation intention and planning interventions in health psychology: Recommendations from the synergy expert group for research and practice. Psychology & Health, 31, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. A., Zehr, C. E., Ng, M., & Zanna, M. P. (2012). Implementation intentions for physical activity in supportive and unsupportive environmental conditions: An experimental examination of intention–behavior consistency. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(1), 432–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogarth, L., & Chase, H. W. (2011). Parallel goal-directed and habitual control of human drug-seeking: Implications for dependence vulnerability. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 37(3), 261–276.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knäuper, B., McCollam, A., Rosen-Brown, A., Lacaille, J., Kelso, E., & Roseman, M. (2011). Fruitful plans: Adding targeted mental imagery to implementation intentions increases fruit consumption. Psychology and Health, 26(5), 601–617.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knäuper, B., Roseman, M., Johnson, P. J., & Krantz, L. H. (2009). Using mental imagery to enhance the effectiveness of implementation intentions. Current Psychology, 28(3), 181–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lengfelder, A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2001). Reflective and reflexive action control in patients with frontal brain lesions. Neuropsychology, 15(1), 80–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Linnebank, F. E., Kindt, M., & de Wit, S. (2018). Investigating the balance between goal-directed and habitual control in experimental and real-life settings. Learning & Behavior, 46, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luque, D., Beesley, T., Morris, R. W., Jack, B. N., Griffiths, O., Whitford, T. J., et al. (2017). Goal-directed and habit-like modulations of stimulus processing during reinforcement learning. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(11), 3009–3017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luszczynska, A., Sobczyk, A., & Abraham, C. (2007). Planning to lose weight: Randomized controlled trial of an implementation intention prompt to enhance weight reduction among overweight and obese women. Health Psychology, 26(4), 507.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, F. J., Everitt, B. J., & Dickinson, A. (2003). Oral cocaine seeking by rats: Action or habit? Behavioral Neuroscience, 117(5), 927–938.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milne, S., Orbell, S., & Sheeran, P. (2002). Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: Protection motivation theory and implementation intentions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7(2), 163–184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, R. W., Quail, S., Griffiths, K. R., Green, M. J., & Balleine, B. W. (2015). Corticostriatal control of goal-directed action is impaired in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 77(2), 187–195.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neal, D. T., Wood, W., Wu, M., & Kurlander, D. (2011). The pull of the past: When do habits persist despite conflict with motives? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(11), 1428–1437.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neely, J. H. (1991). Semantic priming effects in visual word recognition: A selective review of current findings and theories. Basic Processes in Reading: Visual Word Recognition, 11, 264–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, A., & Killcross, S. (2006). Amphetamine exposure enhances habit formation. The Journal of Neuroscience, 26(14), 3805–3812.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Norman, P. (2011). The theory of planned behavior and binge drinking among undergraduate students: Assessing the impact of habit strength. Addictive Behaviors, 36(5), 502–507.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, R. C., Ferguson, E., Scott, F., Smyth, R., McDaid, D., La Park, A., et al. (2017). A brief psychological intervention to reduce repetition of self-harm in patients admitted to hospital following a suicide attempt: A randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(6), 451–460.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oettingen, G., Hönig, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2000). Effective self-regulation of goal attainment. International Journal of Educational Research, 33(7), 705–732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orbell, S., & Verplanken, B. (2010). The automatic component of habit in health behavior: Habit as cue-contingent automaticity. Health Psychology, 29(4), 374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, S. L., Furlong, T. M., Black, A. D., & Balleine, B. W. (2017). Intermittent feeding alters sensitivity to changes in reward value. Appetite, 113, 1–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paul-Jordanov, I., Bechtold, M., & Gawrilow, C. (2010). Methylphenidate and if-then plans are comparable in modulating the P300 and increasing response inhibition in children with ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 2(3), 115–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pomp, S., Fleig, L., Schwarzer, R., & Lippke, S. (2013). Effects of a self-regulation intervention on exercise are moderated by depressive symptoms: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 13(1), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powers, T. A., Koestner, R., & Topciu, R. A. (2005). Implementation intentions, perfectionism, and goal progress: Perhaps the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(7), 902–912.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivis, A., & Sheeran, P. (2013). Automatic risk behavior: Direct effects of binge drinker stereotypes on drinking behavior. Health Psychology, 32(5), 571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, T. W., Gillan, C. M., Smith, D. G., de Wit, S., & Ersche, K. D. (2012). Neurocognitive endophenotypes of impulsivity and compulsivity: Towards dimensional psychiatry. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(1), 81–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rubak, S., Sandbaek, A., Lauritzen, T., & Christensen, B. (2005). Motivational interviewing: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of General Practice, 55(513), 305–312.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sailer, P., Wieber, F., Pröpster, K., Stoewer, S., Nischk, D., Volk, F., et al. (2015). A brief intervention to improve exercising in patients with schizophrenia: A controlled pilot study with mental contrasting and implementation intentions (MCII). BMC Psychiatry, 15(1), 211.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenmakers, T. M., de Bruin, M., Lux, I. F. M., Goertz, A. G., Van Kerkhof, D. H. A. T., & Wiers, R. W. (2010). Clinical effectiveness of attentional bias modification training in abstinent alcoholic patients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 109(1–3), 30–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwabe, L., & Wolf, O. T. (2009). Stress prompts habit behavior in humans. The Journal of Neuroscience, 29(22), 7191–7198.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, R., Hunt, J., Webb, T. L., & Thompson, A. R. (2014). Starting to develop self-help for social anxiety associated with vitiligo: Using clinical significance to measure the potential effectiveness of enhanced psychological self-help. The British Journal of Dermatology, 171(2), 332–337.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheeran, P., Aubrey, R., & Kellett, S. (2007). Increasing attendance for psychotherapy: Implementation intentions and the self-regulation of attendance-related negative affect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(6), 853.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheeran, P., Webb, T. L., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2005). The interplay between goal intentions and implementation intentions. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(1), 87–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, B. F., Fadanelli, M., Kawa, A. B., & Robinson, T. E. (2017). Are cocaine-seeking “habits” necessary for the development of addiction-like behavior in rats? Journal of Neuroscience, 2458–2417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sjoerds, Z., De Wit, S., Van Den Brink, W., Robbins, T., Beekman, A., Penninx, B., et al. (2013). Behavioral and neuroimaging evidence for overreliance on habit learning in alcohol-dependent patients. Translational Psychiatry, 3(12), e337.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Thorndike, E. L. (1911). Animal intelligence: Experimental studies. New York: The Macmillan Company.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tiffany, S. T. (1990). A cognitive model of drug urges and drug-use behavior: Role of automatic and nonautomatic processes. Psychological Review, 97(2), 147–168.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Toli, A., Webb, T. L., & Hardy, G. E. (2016). Does forming implementation intentions help people with mental health problems to achieve goals? A meta-analysis of experimental studies with clinical and analogue samples. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 69–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treasure, J. (2004). Motivational interviewing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 10(5), 331–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tricomi, E., Balleine, B. W., & O’Doherty, J. P. (2009). A specific role for posterior dorsolateral striatum in human habit learning. European Journal of Neuroscience, 29(11), 2225–2232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van’t Riet, J., Sijtsema, S. J., Dagevos, H., & De Bruijn, G. (2011). The importance of habits in eating behaviour. An overview and recommendations for future research. Appetite, 57(3), 585–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varley, R., Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2011). Making self-help more helpful: A randomized controlled trial of the impact of augmenting self-help materials with implementation intentions on promoting the effective self-management of anxiety symptoms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(1), 123–128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Veling, H., van Koningsbruggen, G. M., Aarts, H., & Stroebe, W. (2014). Targeting impulsive processes of eating behavior via the internet. Effects on body weight. Appetite, 78, 102–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven, A. A., Adriaanse, M. A., de Vet, E., Fennis, B. M., & de Ridder, D. T. (2014). Identifying the ‘if’ for ‘if-then’ plans: Combining implementation intentions with cue-monitoring targeting unhealthy snacking behaviour. Psychology & Health, 29(12), 1476–1492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven, A. A., Adriaanse, M. A., Evers, C., & de Ridder, D. T. (2012). The power of habits: Unhealthy snacking behaviour is primarily predicted by habit strength. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17(4), 758–770.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven, A. A., Adriaanse, M. A., Ridder, D. T., Vet, E., & Fennis, B. M. (2013). Less is more: The effect of multiple implementation intentions targeting unhealthy snacking habits. European Journal of Social Psychology, 43(5), 344–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken, B. (2006). Beyond frequency: Habit as mental construct. British Journal of Social Psychology, 45(3), 639–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken, B., & Aarts, H. (1999). Habit, attitude, and planned behaviour: Is habit an empty construct or an interesting case of goal-directed automaticity? European Review of Social Psychology, 10(1), 101–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2003). Reflections on past behavior: A Self-Report index of habit strength. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(6), 1313–1330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken, B., Walker, I., Davis, A., & Jurasek, M. (2008). Context change and travel mode choice: Combining the habit discontinuity and self-activation hypotheses. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(2), 121–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken, B., & Wood, W. (2006). Interventions to break and create consumer habits. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 25(1), 90–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voon, V., Derbyshire, K., Rück, C., Irvine, M. A., Worbe, Y., Enander, J., et al. (2015). Disorders of compulsivity: A common bias towards learning habits. Molecular Psychiatry, 20(3), 345–352.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. R., Mullan, E., Wingrove, J., Rimes, K., Steiner, H., Bathurst, N., et al. (2011). Rumination-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy for residual depression: Phase II randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(4), 317–322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. R., Taylor, R. S., Byng, R., Baeyens, C., Read, R., Pearson, K., et al. (2012). Guided self-help concreteness training as an intervention for major depression in primary care: A Phase II randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine, 42(7), 1359–1371.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, P., & de Wit, S. (2018). Current limits of experimental research into habits and future directions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 20, 33–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, P., Wiers, R. W., Hommel, B., Gerdes, V. E. A., & de Wit, S. (2017). Stimulus control over action for food in obese versus healthy-weight individuals. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 580.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, T. L., Ononaiye, M. S., Sheeran, P., Reidy, J. G., & Lavda, A. (2010). Using implementation intentions to overcome the effects of social anxiety on attention and appraisals of performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(5), 612–627.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2007). How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(2), 295–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, T. L., Sheeran, P., & Luszczynska, A. (2009). Planning to break unwanted habits: Habit strength moderates implementation intention effects on behaviour change. British Journal of Social Psychology, 48(3), 507–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiers, R. W., Eberl, C., Rinck, M., Becker, E. S., & Lindenmeyer, J. (2011). Retraining automatic action tendencies changes alcoholic patients’ approach bias for alcohol and improves treatment outcome. Psychological Science, 22(4), 490–497.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4), 843.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, W., Witt, M. G., & Tam, L. (2005). Changing circumstances, disrupting habits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(6), 918–933.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Aukje Verhoeven & Sanne de Wit

  2. Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Aukje Verhoeven & Sanne de Wit

Authors
  1. Aukje Verhoeven
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sanne de Wit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sanne de Wit .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Bas Verplanken

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Verhoeven, A., de Wit, S. (2018). The Role of Habits in Maladaptive Behaviour and Therapeutic Interventions. In: Verplanken, B. (eds) The Psychology of Habit. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97529-0_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation