Unsworth, KL and McNeill, I (2017) Increasing Pro-Environmental Behaviors by Increasing Self-Concordance: Testing an Intervention. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102 (1). pp. 88-103. ISSN 0021-9010
Abstract
Globally, there is a clear need to change our behavior to mitigate climate change. Many people, however, will not find the need for mitigation important enough to make their behavior more environmentally sustainable. Three studies supported the hypothesis that it is possible to overcome this issue by connecting these behaviors to goals that are important to people, even if such goals are unrelated to climate change or the environment in general. Study 1 (N = 305 working adults) showed that stronger self-concordance of behavior related to energy sustainability was related to a greater chance of signing a petition for increasing renewable energy sources. Next, two experimental studies (Study 2: N = 412 working and non-working adults, and Study 3: N = 300 working adults) showed that increasing self-concordance of environmentally sustainable behaviors by asking people to cognitively connect either sustainable energy use (Study 2) or commuting behaviors (Study 3) to their personal goals increased intentions to engage in these behaviors compared to a control condition (Study 2 and Study 3) and compared to persuasion attempts based on climate change mitigation (Study 3). These findings occurred even after controlling for political orientation and environmental concerns. This research has significant practical implications for workplaces, particularly for those in which employees or managers place a low priority on environmental and climate change considerations.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, American Psychological Association. This is an author produced version of a paper accepted for publication in Journal of Applied Psychology. This article may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | self-concordance; sustainability; environmental psychology; pro-environmental behavior; energy use; commuting behavior |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Management Division (LUBS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Aug 2016 11:54 |
Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2017 17:08 |
Published Version: | https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000155 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Psychological Association |
Identification Number: | 10.1037/apl0000155 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:103506 |