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Understanding the Reasons for Behavioral Failure: A Process View of Psychosocial Barriers and Constraints to Pro-Ecological Behavior

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  • Rui Gaspar

    (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS), Edifício ISCTE. Av. das Forças Armadas 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
    Department of Psychology, University of Évora, Colégio Pedro da Fonseca, Rua da Barba Rala 7000 Évora, Portugal)

Abstract

For many years now, behavior change projects and research on pro-ecological behavior seem to have encountered difficulties in answering the question: why do people fail to act? That is, what are the barriers and constraints that prevent people from acting in a pro-ecological way? In order to fill the gap, this paper aims to operationalize the concepts of barriers and constraints, based on an approach that considers the role of behavioral goals (“to achieve X”). In addition, it aims to present a preliminary approach focused on understanding the processes involved in the barriers and constraints emergence and their consequent effect on the implementation of behavioral goals into behaviors. This is done in order to allow for a better understanding of: (1) how the interaction between individual/dispositional characteristics and the characteristics of the situation in which individuals are in, may result in the inhibition/constraining of pro-ecological goals implementation into behaviors; and (2) the role of conscious and unconscious processes in this. Examples of barriers and constraints will be given, in order to make salient the need for future research to address these and for behavioral change projects to take them into consideration.

Suggested Citation

  • Rui Gaspar, 2013. "Understanding the Reasons for Behavioral Failure: A Process View of Psychosocial Barriers and Constraints to Pro-Ecological Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(7), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:7:p:2960-2975:d:26982
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Olof Sivertsson & Joakim Tell, 2015. "Barriers to Business Model Innovation in Swedish Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Yuanhong Liao & Weihong Yang, 2022. "The determinants of different types of private-sphere pro-environmental behaviour: an integrating framework," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 8566-8592, June.
    4. Ante Ivčević & Isabel Estrela Rego & Rui Gaspar & Vania Statzu, 2021. "Telluric and Climate-Related Risk Awareness, and Risk Mitigation Strategies in the Azores Archipelago: First Steps for Building Societal Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-11, August.
    5. Darshana Rajapaksa & Moinul Islam & Shunsuke Managi, 2018. "Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Role of Public Perception in Infrastructure and the Social Factors for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Moghimehfar, Farhad & Halpenny, Elizabeth A., 2016. "How do people negotiate through their constraints to engage in pro-environmental behavior? A study of front-country campers in Alberta, Canada," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 362-372.
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