IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i21p8782-d433164.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How to Cope with Perceived Tension towards Sustainable Consumption? Exploring Pro-Environmental Behavior Experts’ Coping Strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Gabriele Torma

    (Department of Management, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé, DK-8210 Aarhus, Denmark)

Abstract

Pro-environmental behavior experts (PEBEXs) encounter tensions associated with sustainable consumption, just like other individuals. What distinguishes them is their high level of knowledge, motivation, and reflection on climate change topics, as intended by many downstream policy interventions targeting individual consumption behavior. Based on 31 problem-centered interviews with PEBEXs, we found two general coping strategies: contributing to maximizing sustainable consumption and accommodating to the minimization of perceived tension. These coping strategies offer a promising source of information for individuals in general on how to drive personal consumption behavior in more sustainable directions and how to deal with accompanying barriers and tensions. Because coping strategies can be trained, the introduced strategies can support the design of interventions targeting individual consumption decisions. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of accompanying upstream interventions, such as structural changes, to support individual behavior changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriele Torma, 2020. "How to Cope with Perceived Tension towards Sustainable Consumption? Exploring Pro-Environmental Behavior Experts’ Coping Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-27, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:8782-:d:433164
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/8782/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/8782/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Caset, Freke & Boussauw, Kobe & Storme, Tom, 2018. "Meet & fly: Sustainable transport academics and the elephant in the room," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 64-67.
    2. Valeria Lo Iacono & Paul Symonds & David H.K. Brown, 2016. "Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(2), pages 103-117, May.
    3. Evon Scott & Giorgos Kallis & Christos Zografos, 2019. "Why environmentalists eat meat," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-9, July.
    4. Christopher Michaelson & Michael Pratt & Adam Grant & Craig Dunn, 2014. "Meaningful Work: Connecting Business Ethics and Organization Studies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(1), pages 77-90, April.
    5. Melissa Nursey-Bray & Robert Palmer & Bridie Meyer-Mclean & Thomas Wanner & Cris Birzer, 2019. "The Fear of Not Flying: Achieving Sustainable Academic Plane Travel in Higher Education Based on Insights from South Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, May.
    6. Verena Gruber & Bodo Schlegelmilch, 2014. "How Techniques of Neutralization Legitimize Norm- and Attitude-Inconsistent Consumer Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(1), pages 29-45, April.
    7. Andreas Chatzidakis & Sally Hibbert & Andrew Smith, 2007. "Why People Don’t Take their Concerns about Fair Trade to the Supermarket: The Role of Neutralisation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 89-100, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Albina Dioba & Valentina Kroker & Siegfried Dewitte & Florian Lange, 2024. "Barriers to Pro-Environmental Behavior Change: A Review of Qualitative Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Ualison Rébula de Oliveira & Thaís Stiegert Meireles Gomes & Geovani Gabizo de Oliveira & Júlio Cesar Andrade de Abreu & Murilo Alvarenga Oliveira & Aldara da Silva César & Vicente Aprigliano Fernande, 2022. "Systematic Literature Review on Sustainable Consumption from the Perspective of Companies, People and Public Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-26, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karoline Gamma & Robert Mai & Moritz Loock, 2020. "The Double-Edged Sword of Ethical Nudges: Does Inducing Hypocrisy Help or Hinder the Adoption of Pro-environmental Behaviors?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 351-373, January.
    2. Clare Shelley-Egan, 2020. "Testing the Obligations of Presence in Academia in the COVID-19 Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-10, August.
    3. Wintschnig, Bea Alexandra, 2021. "The Attitude-Behavior Gap – Drivers and Barriers of Sustainable Consumption," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 6(2), pages 324-346.
    4. Isabel Schrems & Paul Upham, 2020. "Cognitive Dissonance in Sustainability Scientists Regarding Air Travel for Academic Purposes: A Qualitative Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Lasarov, Wassili & Mai, Robert & García de Frutos, Nieves & Egea, José Manuel Ortega & Hoffmann, Stefan, 2019. "Counter-arguing as barriers to environmentally motivated consumption reduction: A multi-country study," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 281-305.
    6. Ertz, Myriam & Lecompte, Agnès & Durif, Fabien, 2018. "“It's not my fault, I am in the right!” Exploration of neutralization in the justification of the support and use of a controversial technological collaborative consumption service," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 254-264.
    7. Derudder, Ben & Liu, Xingjian & Hong, Song & Ruan, Shuhe & Wang, Yifei & Witlox, Frank, 2019. "The shifting position of the Journal of Transport Geography in ‘transport geography research’: A bibliometric analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    8. Zhang, Guanglei & Wang, Huaying & Li, Mingze, 2023. "“A Little Thanks Changes My World”: When and why dirty work employees feel meaningfulness at work," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    9. Elena Kossmann & Mónica Gómez-Suárez, 2018. "Decision-making processes for purchases of ethical products: gaps between academic research and needs of marketing practitioners," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 15(3), pages 353-370, September.
    10. Christopher Belanger & Samia Chreim & Silvia Bonaccio, 2024. "The Experience and Implications of Meaningless Work in the Public Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(3), pages 563-578, December.
    11. Baumeister, Stefan & Leung, Abraham & Ryley, Tim, 2020. "The emission reduction potentials of First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) in Finland," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    12. Harry Hummels & Patrick Nullens, 2022. "‘Other-wise’ Organizing. A Levinasian Approach to Agape in Work and Business Organisations," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 211-232, October.
    13. Angela Dettori & Michela Floris, 2023. "Improving continuity by simplifying the structure of family firms: a replication study," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 635-660, June.
    14. Anna Jasinenko & Josephina Steuber, 2023. "Perceived Organizational Purpose: Systematic Literature Review, Construct Definition, Measurement and Potential Employee Outcomes," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(6), pages 1415-1447, September.
    15. Langena, Nina & Klink, Jeanette & Hartmann, Monika, 2013. "Individualized or non-individualized IDM: What elicits consumer preferences best?," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150637, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Munten, Pauline & Swaen, Valérie & Vanhamme, Joëlle, 2024. "Exploring rebound effects in Access-Based services (ABS)," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    17. Natalia Stanulewicz & Emily Knox & Melanie Narayanasamy & Noureen Shivji & Kamlesh Khunti & Holly Blake, 2019. "Effectiveness of Lifestyle Health Promotion Interventions for Nurses: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-36, December.
    18. Andrew Soren & Carol D. Ryff, 2023. "Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-21, August.
    19. Gretchen Larsen & Rob Lawson, 2013. "Consumer Rights: An Assessment of Justice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 515-528, February.
    20. Nicholas Burton & Mai Chi Vu, 2021. "Moral Identity and the Quaker tradition: Moral Dissonance Negotiation in the WorkPlace," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 127-141, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:8782-:d:433164. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.