Final answer:
The theory that deals with beliefs pertaining to susceptibility, severity, effectiveness, self-efficacy, and cost in the context of health behaviors is closely aligned with Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and the Health Belief Model (HBM). Bandura's work emphasizes self-efficacy, while the HBM focuses on individual attitudes and beliefs predicting health behavior change.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory that concerns beliefs and attitudes regarding susceptibility, severity, effectiveness, self-efficacy, and cost is not specifically clarified in the available options. However, referring to the concepts of health behavior change, self-efficacy, and attitudes mentioned, it aligns closely with Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, which incorporates elements of self-efficacy as central to behavior change. Although not listed as an option, this theory suggests that an individual's knowledge of health risks and benefits forms a key basis for health behavior change, such as the Health Belief Model (HBM). The HBM is specifically designed to predict and explain health behaviors by focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of individuals. It posits that a person's belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease, along with a belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior, can predict the likelihood of the adoption of that behavior.
Albert Bandura's work on self-efficacy, notably in 'Self-efficacy: The exercise of control' and 'Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change', also underscores the role of belief in one's capabilities in influencing the choice of activities, exertion levels, perseverance, and resilience to adversities.
Attitudes can have a powerful effect on behavior and are influenced by factors like personal beliefs, cognitive dissonance, and external persuasion, as discussed in the elaboration likelihood model. Given these complexities, the question may be referencing a specific psychological or health-related theory not explicitly mentioned here, such as the Health Belief Model or Social Cognitive Theory.