2. 22.1 INTRODUCTION
Chapter focuses on theories explaining environmental behavior,
with emphasis on reasoned choices.
Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) highlighted, emphasizing
individual costs and benefits.
Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) discussed, considering
individual and collective costs and benefits.
Morality-based theories examined: Norm Activation Model (NAM)
and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory.
Goal-Framing Theory discussed as an integrated framework for
understanding environmental behavior influencers.
7. 22.2 THEORY OF PLANNED
BEHAVIOUR (TPB)
Perceived Behavioral Control:
Belief in ability to perform behavior, influenced by
facilitating or hindering factors.
Example: Low perceived control to cycle if belief in
being unfit.
Indirect Influences on Behavior:
Socio-demographics and values indirectly
influence behavior via attitudes, subjective norms,
and perceived control.
Example: Strong biospheric values lead to positive
attitudes towards cycling and negative attitudes
towards driving.
8. 22.2 THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR (TPB)
Success of TPB:
Effective in explaining various environmental
behaviors such as transportation choices, paper
use, meat consumption, and energy-saving
practices.
Attitudes and perceived behavioral control are
significant predictors.
Enhancements to TPB:
Addition of personal norms, reflecting moral
obligations, improves predictive power of TPB.
Personal norms predict pro-environmental
intentions and behaviors beyond TPB variables.
12. 22.3 PROTECTION
MOTIVATION THEORY (PMT)
Protection Motivation Theory (PMT):
Assumes consideration of costs and benefits of
pro-environmental and environmentally
harmful behavior.
Suggests pro-environmental action is more
likely when threat and coping appraisals are
high.
13. 22.3 PROTECTION MOTIVATION THEORY (PMT)
Threat Appraisal:
Involves evaluating benefits of harmful actions,
severity of risks, and perceived vulnerability to
risks.
Coping Appraisal:
Reflects belief in ability to engage in pro-
environmental actions to reduce threat.
Based on perceived self-efficacy, outcome
efficacy, and perceived costs of pro-
environmental behavior.
14. 22.3 PROTECTION
MOTIVATION THEORY
(PMT)
Success of PMT:
Effective in explaining adoption of electric
vehicles.
Adoption more likely when:
Problems caused by conventional
vehicles are perceived as severe.
Individuals feel vulnerable to these
problems.
Advantages of fossil fuel cars are less favorable
(high threat appraisal).
People believe electric vehicles can solve
conventional vehicle problems.
They feel capable of driving an electric vehicle.
Disadvantages of electric vehicles are evaluated
less negatively (high coping appraisal).
16. 22.4 THE NORM
ACTIVATION MODEL (NAM)
Norm Activation Model (NAM):
Pro-environmental actions stem
from activation of personal norms,
reflecting moral obligation.
Personal norms activated by:
Problem awareness
Ascription of responsibility
Outcome efficacy
Self-efficacy
17. 22.4 THE NORM ACTIVATION MODEL
(NAM)
Factors Strengthening Personal Norms:
Awareness of environmental problems caused by behavior.
Personal responsibility for these problems without attributing them to others.
Belief that actions will help reduce problems (outcome efficacy).
Confidence in ability to engage in actions (self-efficacy).
18. 22.4 THE NORM ACTIVATION MODEL (NAM)
Outcome Efficacy and Cooperation:
Outcome efficacy influenced by expectation of
others' pro-environmental actions.
Success of NAM:
Effective in explaining various pro-environmental
intentions and behaviors such as car use and
general pro-environmental behavior.
Constructs can be general or behavior-specific,
with behavior-specific variables showing
stronger relation to intentions and behaviors.
19. 22.4 THE NORM ACTIVATION MODEL (NAM)
Experimental studies confirm causal relationship
between NAM variables.
Awareness of problems precedes consideration of
responsibility and ability to reduce them.
Causal
Relationship of
NAM Variables:
People typically consider actions to reduce
environmental problems only after becoming aware of
adverse consequences of their behavior.
Theoretical
Consistency:
23. 22.5 THE VALUEBELIEF NORM
(VBN) THEORY OF
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Value-Belief-Norm Theory of Environmentalism (VBN
Theory):
Extension of NAM proposing problem awareness
depends on values and ecological worldviews.
Egoistic values negatively related, altruistic and
biospheric values positively related to ecological
worldviews.
Ecological worldviews predict problem awareness,
which influences beliefs on action, personal norms,
and behavior.
24. 22.5 THE VALUEBELIEF NORM
(VBN) THEORY OF
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Behavior Influenced by Personal Norms:
Personal norms influence various behaviors,
including environmental activism, public
sphere behaviors, private-sphere
environmentalism, and organizational
actions.
Success of VBN Theory:
Successful in explaining behavior across
various studies and cultures.
Biospheric values directly activate personal
norms.
25. 22.5 THE VALUEBELIEF NORM (VBN) THEORY
OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
NAM and VBN theory successful in explaining low-cost
pro-environmental behaviors and good intentions.
Less explanatory power in high-cost situations like
reducing energy use.
Explanation of Low-
Cost Pro-
environmental
Behaviors:
TPB more powerful in explaining high-cost
environmental behavior due to inclusion of wider
range of non-environmental motivations.
Comparison with
TPB:
26. 22.5 THE VALUEBELIEF NORM
(VBN) THEORY OF
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Lack of Systematic Research:
No clear understanding yet on which
theoretical model is most useful in different
situations due to lacking systematic
research on their range of application.
27. 22.5 THE VALUEBELIEF NORM
THEORY OF
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Self-Serving Denial:
When acting pro-environmentally is
costly, people may reduce feelings of
moral obligation via self-serving denial.
Denial tactics include denying seriousness
of environmental problems, rejecting
liability, blaming others such as industry,
claiming individual actions are ineffective,
or indicating inability to perform
necessary actions.
29. 22.6
GOALFRAMING
THEORY
Goal-Framing Theory:
Proposes three
general goals
framing information
processing and
actions: hedonic,
gain, and normative
goals.
Focal goal influences
information
processing most,
while other goals
either strengthen or
weaken it.
Influence of Goals on
Pro-environmental
Actions:
Normative goals
provide stable basis
for such actions,
while hedonic and
gain goals lead to
pro-environmental
actions only if
profitable or
comfortable.
30. 22.6
GOALFRAMING
THEORY
Depends on endorsed values;
hedonic values strengthen
hedonic goals, egoistic values
strengthen gain goals, altruistic
and biospheric values
strengthen normative goals.
Strength
of Goals:
Situational factors can affect
strength of goals; norm-
violating behavior weakens
normative goal, while signs of
norm-respecting behavior
strengthen it.
Influence
of
Situational
Factors:
31. 22.6 GOALFRAMING THEORY
Relation to Theoretical Frameworks:
Hedonic goals align with affect theories, gain goals with
TPB, normative goals with NAM and VBN theory, and PMT
focuses on gain and normative goals.
Integration with Environmental Psychology:
Offers integrative framework aligning with various
theoretical frameworks in environmental psychology.
32. 22.7 SUMMARY
Theory of Planned
Behavior (TPB):
Behavior results
from intention to
engage in specific
behavior.
Pro-environmental
intentions and
behaviors more
likely with positive
attitude, supportive
subjective norms,
and perceived
behavioral control.
Protection
Motivation Theory
(PMT):
Describes how
threat and coping
appraisal influence
environmentally
related behavioral
choices.
Norm Activation
Model (NAM):
Pro-environmental
actions stem from
activation of
personal norms,
reflecting moral
obligation.
Activated by
awareness of
environmental
problems, personal
responsibility, belief
in actions reducing
problems, and
ability to engage in
relevant actions.
Value-Belief-Norm
Theory (VBN):
Extends NAM,
linking problem
awareness to
ecological
worldviews and
value orientations.
Goal-Framing
Theory:
Integrates various
factors influencing
environmental
behavior.
Assumes multiple
goals (hedonic, gain,
normative)
influence behavior
at any given time.
33. TUTORIAL
Based on theory of planned behavior (TPB), justify your
planned behaviour towards No Plastic Bag campaign by
99 Speedmart grocery mart. Explain your intention
behaviour form aspect of :
how you evaluate not using plastic bag
(attitudes)?
to what extent important others expect you to
not using plastic bag (subjective norms),
whether you could in most instances not using
plastic bag when they wanted to do so (perceived
behaviour control)
to what extent you felt personally obliged to not
use plastic bag (personal norms).
