TPB
theory of planned behaviour. Originates in broader social psychology research, posits that intentional behaviour is predicted by attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioural control. What we think and feel, social pressure and capacity to drive action. Can explain higher impact behaviours live avoiding driving
VBN
the value belief norm. developed specifically with pro-environmental behaviour in mind and emphasizes the role of personal norms in personal action, which are a product of people’s awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility to the self. These beliefs in turn are rooted in deeper personal values and worldviews. Has been shown to predict political or low-impact pro environmental actions like recycling
TTM
the transtheoretical model. More dynamic theory of behaviour change, describing the stages a person moves through in establishing new behaviours including contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance of behaviour change. Been the most influential in health psychology but has been used to predict certain climate mitigation behaviour
what is a norm based home energy report
- HERS
- Provide households with graphic feedback about their individual energy consumption as compared with the average neighbour and efficient neighbour along with tips on how to save more energy
- Make monthly savings of 1 – 2 percent
- Worldwide can save 5 trillion watts per hour per year
HERS with conservatives and liberals
- Gap is smaller for both who have pro climate friends and family
- Conservative are more likely to dislike the reports and opt out of receiving them
- Liberals express greater concern, more pronounced reduction after receiving a HER
SNI
social norms interventions. In a typical one people are provided with info about beliefs and behaviours that are common and/or approved as a way to correct misperceptions and motivate changes in behaviour
- Social norms: rules and standards that are understood by members of a group that guide morally relevant social behaviour by way of social sanctions, instead of the force of laws
What does psychology have to do with environmental sustainability?
One answer (of many):
Climate change and many other environmental problems are caused by human behaviour.
Psychology can help us explain and influence human behaviour in ways
that get people to act more sustainably. - & address environmental problems.
Meta-analysis
(Carreo, Valor, Redondo, & Vila, 2025)
31 studies testing effect of implementation intentions
Overall moderate to large effect of implementation intentions on pro-
environmental behaviour.
– Change in diet, mobility
Biggest effect for behaviours that require time, money, and effort.
– Required more self-regulation
Connecting to sustainability
Individual“consumption”behaviours
Changes with more indirect effects
– Connection to nature.
– Climate anxiety, eco-anxiety.
- Social influence, social change
Make clear, specific goals
Need a clear standard to determine whether meeting your goal.
Specific goals are more likely to lead to behaviour change than vague goals.
– Provides clear behavioural standards
– Less opportunity to rationalize inconsistency
- Implementation intentions (Gollwitzer,1999).
– When and where are important cues
implemation intentions
Implementation intentions are a self-regulatory, “if-then” planning strategy designed to boost goal achievement by specifying the exact time, place, and behavior for action (e.g., “If situation X arises, I will perform response Y”). Developed by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, this technique bridges the gap between intending to act and actually doing it, helping to overcome inertia, distractions, and bad habits.
Examples of goals that lack specificity:
“I will eat more sustainably”
“I will take shorter showers.”
“I will avoid single-use plastics when possible.”
“I will spend time everyday learning about climate change.”
Appropriate goal-setting
- Nottoobig,ortoomanybehaviours
– Self-Efficacy (Bandura, 1977)
– Theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) - Perceived behavioural control
– Limits to self-regulation (e.g., Baumeister et al., 1998) - Not too small?
self efficacy
an individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to achieve specific performance goals. It dictates how people think, motivate themselves, and behave, influencing their ability to manage challenges, persist through failure, and control their environment.
theory of planner behaviour
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), developed by Icek Ajzen, posits that human behavior is directly driven by behavioral intention, which is shaped by three key factors: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. It is a widely used, evidence-based psychological framework for predicting and understanding behavior across various fields.
Tracking
- You need a plan for exactly how to track your behaviour(“log”or“record”)
- Be specific!
– What information will you record?
* Doing/not doing a behaviour?
* Time? Weight? Size? Distance?
* Describe behaviour in a domain (food diary)
– When will you record it?
* When behaviour happens?
* At specified time(s)?
* How will you remember?
– What will you record it on/in?
* Computer file, notebook, phone?
- For some, might help to start tracking before the behaviour change attempt.
- Might want to monitor more than behaviour (thoughts, feelings, reactions of others…)
Tracking is “self-monitoring”
- Self-monitoring on its own affects behaviour (Korotitsch&Nelson-Gray, 1999)
- Objective Self-Awareness theory (Duval&Wicklund,1972;Silvia&Duval, 2001)
– Self-monitoring of behaviour keeps both self and standards in awareness.
objective self awareness theory
Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) theory, formally developed by Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund in 1972, proposes that when individuals focus their attention on themselves (self-awareness), they automatically compare their current behavior, attitudes, or traits against internal standards of correctness. This process of self-evaluation often leads to the detection of discrepancies between the “real self” and the “ideal self,” causing negative affect and motivating behaviors to either reduce the discrepancy or escape the state of self-focus.
self monitering
ased on the review by Korotitsch and Nelson-Gray (1999), self-monitoring is a well-established, effective component in behavioral therapy that often independently affects behavior, a phenomenon known as reactivity.
Here is a summary of the key findings regarding the effects of self-monitoring:
Behavioral Reactivity: The mere act of systematically observing and recording one’s own target thoughts, feelings, or behaviors often causes those behaviors to change in the desired direction, even without further intervention.
Direction of Change: Reactive effects typically result in a decrease in undesirable behaviors and an increase in desirable behaviors.
Application Areas: Self-monitoring has shown success in modifying various behaviors, including smoking, weight loss, nail-biting, academic performance, and anxiety levels.
Limitations: While effective in many areas, the study notes that reactive effects of self-monitoring are weak or absent in certain cases, such as alcohol consumption.
Mechanisms: Self-monitoring enhances self-control by providing, in the absence of a therapist, direct, portable, and cost-efficient feedback on behavior.
The 1999 study highlights that while often used for assessment, the therapeutic “side effect” of simply monitoring a behavior is a robust tool in behavioral psychology.
Self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000)
Start with or cultivate the right kind of motivation
Motivation is more “self-determined”
External Regulation: Some reward or punishment for doing/not doing a behaviour. “extrinsic motivations”
Introjected: Behaviours performed to avoid guilt, seek pride, increase self esteem. “extrinsic motivations”
Identified: Something about that action that is personally important. “self determined”, “extrinsic motivations”
Integrated: Some core value you have, a part of identity. “self determined”, “Extrinsic motivations”
Intrinsic: Just feels good to you in some way. Ie/ you just love gardening. “self determined”
More sustained effort toward goal - the more self-determined a goal is, the more sustained it is.
Better psychological well-being - happier we are.
Self-determination increases if behaviour meets needs: Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence (Osbaldiston & Sheldon, 2003)
(Self determination decreases if needs thwarted) - Ie/ with other people what is quality of motivation.
Will it interfere with related needs. - Ie/ changing diet, may be difficult if someone is cooking for you.
Make a public commitment
Cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957)
Self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988)
“Being held accountable”
self-affirmation theory
proposes that individuals are motivated to maintain a global sense of self-integrity and worth, particularly when facing threats to their self-concept. People respond to such threats not just by directly addressing them, but by affirming alternative, unrelated self-resources—such as core values or personal strengths—which reduces defensiveness and helps restore a positive, adaptive self-view.
cognitive dissonance theory
describes the mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes, or when behaviors contradict beliefs. This aversive psychological state motivates people to reduce the tension by changing, justifying, or ignoring the conflicting cognitions to restore consistency.
Do it with other people
Instrumental and emotional support
- Public commitment -> more likely to follow through. increased consistancy
- Group norms
- Collective efficacy
- Relatedness-> self-directed motivation
- Other people make it more fun!
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2 - changing behaviour25
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3 - Inter threats and coping23
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1 - Psychology and Environmental Sustainability16
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4 - Groups and Social Norms 135
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5 - Groups and Social Norms 214
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Identification with nature28
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Connection to Nature, Well-being and Pro-Environmental Behaviour13
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Environmental Inequity22
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Readings doc43
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11 - Environmental activism16
