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

• 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.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

behavior change

decision-making

immediate emotions

pro-environmental action

theory of planned behavior

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)