Assessing immediate emotions in the theory of planned behavior can substantially contribute to increases in pro-environmental behavior

Vanessa C. Ho, Anne H. Berman, Jackie Andrade, David J. Kavanagh, Stéphane La Branche, Jon May, Conner S. Philson, Daniel T. Blumstein*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a highly influential and powerful behavior change model that offers promising guidance on promoting urgently needed, pro-environmental action. Recent pro-environmental research has successfully augmented TPB using anticipated emotions—the emotions an individual consciously predicts they will experience in relation to possible outcomes of their decision. However, immediate emotions—the emotions an individual actually experiences during decision-making—have received far less attention. Given that immediate emotions are relevant to pro-environmental decision-making and can address the theoretical and empirical limitations of TPB, we contend that pro-environmental studies should explicitly examine immediate emotions within the TPB framework. This article aims to stimulate rigorous research that enhances pro-environmental communication and policymaking by providing integrative insights into immediate emotions along with recommendations for evaluating immediate emotions in a pro-environmental TPB context.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1344899
JournalFrontiers in Climate
Volume6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Mar 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
  • Pollution
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Keywords

  • behavior change
  • decision-making
  • immediate emotions
  • pro-environmental action
  • theory of planned behavior

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