Changing environmentally harmful behaviors: A stage model of self-regulated behavioral change

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.01.002

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Volume 34, June 2013, Pages 151-159

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.01.002 Get rights and content

Abstract

This article takes the model of action phases (MAP, Heckhausen & Gollwitzer, 1987) as a theoretical basis for conceptualizing behavioral change as a transition through a time-ordered sequence of four qualitatively different stages: predecisional, preactional, actional, and postactional. The constructs of goal intention, behavioral intention, and implementation intention provide the criteria for when an individual transits from one stage to the next. However, because MAP does not describe in detail psychological factors contributing to stage progression, constructs taken from the norm-activation model (Schwartz & Howard, 1981) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) are integrated. Results of a first correlational study (N = 908) identified four homogeneous stage subgroups. As expected, the probability of stage assignment was associated significantly with the three intention types marking the transition from one stage to the next. The proposed sets of stage-specific social-cognitive variables were powerful predictors of these three intention types. Potential implications of the model for systematic intervention development are discussed.

Highlights

► Stage models are introduced as frameworks for explaining behavioral change. ► The model of action phases is used as a rational for stages of behavioral change. ► Constructs taken from the NAM and TPB are integrated as stage determinants. ► Two statistical models appropriate for testing stage models are introduced. ► Implications of the stage model for tailored intervention development are discussed.

Section snippets

The present article

If valid, with their emphasis on the dynamic and self-regulatory aspects of behavioral change stage models would also provide an attractive theoretical perspective for studying peoples' voluntary change of environmentally relevant behaviors. Furthermore, stage models would have important practical implications for the development of interventions aiming to promote such a change. Environmental psychology reveals an ongoing discussion on whether tailored interventions approaches are more

Conceptualizing stages of behavioral change

The model of action phases (MAP) proposed by Heckhausen and Gollwitzer (1987) and Gollwitzer (1990) stresses the deliberative, goal-directed nature of behavioral change. As a consequence, MAP focuses on the course of action an individual has to complete in order to successfully reach an intended goal. It assumes that this course of action can be broken down into four time-ordered, qualitatively different stages each characterized by a specific task: In the first (predecisional) stage, an

Sample

The study was conducted from 2007 to 2009 within the context of the EU-MAX-Success project (EU-Max-Success, 2009). In seven European cities (Gießen, Magdeburg, Thessaloniki, Lyon, Maribor, Edinburgh, and Graz), potential participants were approached at parking slots, in shopping malls, and on university campuses. A total sample of 1815 individuals agreed to participate in the study and completed a four-page standardized questionnaire assessing their readiness to reduce their motor car use for

Test of measurement instruments

Table 2 presents the results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) checking the reliability of the measures developed for assessing current travel behavior, the three intention types, as well as the nine constructs taken form NAM and TPB. Because they did not complete most of the items assessing NAM and TPB constructs, participants who chose the no goal statement (n = 698) or the goal of increasing their motor car use (n = 37) were excluded. Because the present study focused on the behavioral

Discussion

The article's main goal was to introduce the stage model of self-regulated behavioral change and to present a first correlational test of hypotheses derived from this model. In summary, the data analysis provides correlational support for all hypotheses: With the help of a measure assessing an individual's current stage membership, it was possible to identify four homogeneous subgroups in the total sample representing the theoretically expected four stage groups. Ordinal regression results

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the European Union (Max – Successful Travel Awareness Campaigns and Mobility Management Strategies, Contract No 518368). The author would like to thank the Max partners for their support in data collection, productive discussions, and comments. A special thank to Christian Klöckner and the three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.

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Changing environmentally harmful behaviors: A stage model of self-regulated behavioral change

Abstract

Highlights

Section snippets

The present article

Conceptualizing stages of behavioral change

Sample

Test of measurement instruments

Discussion

Acknowledgments

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

What assures consumers in Australia on climate change? Switching on citizen power. 2008 update – Australian survey

Are activity promotion interventions based on the transtheoretical model effective? A critical review

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analytic review

British Journal of Social Psychology

The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life

Structural equations with latent variables

Systematic review of the effectiveness of health behavior interventions based on the transtheoretical model

Psychology and Health

Promoting active commuting – Success for walking but not for cycling

Pro-environmental habits: Propensity levels in behavioral change

Journal of Applied Social Psychology

The general public's information needs and perceptions regarding hereditary cancer: An application of the integrated change model

Patient Education and Counselling

The power of sustainable thinking: How to create a positive future for the climate, the planet, your organization and your life

Successful travel awareness campaigns & mobility management strategies

Action phases and mind-sets