Pushed and pulled: the role of affect and cognition in shaping CAM attitudes and behavior among men treated for prostate cancer.

We used Self-Regulation Theory (SRT) to elaborate and describe cognitive and affective representations presumed to underlie CAM decisions in a sample of 55 men who were using CAM after having received conventional treatment for early-stage, localized prostate cancer. Positive representations of CAM were the strongest predictors of beliefs that CAM was necessary for one's health (a 'pulling' effect toward CAM). Nonetheless, negative representations of conventional medicine made an important, though somewhat lesser contribution (a ;pushing' effect away from conventional medicine and towards CAM). Our results also indicate preliminarily that affect may be more important than cognition in shaping CAM decisions.