Motivation for Adopting Proenvironmental Behaviors: The Role of Social Context

摘要

This article investigates the origin of the lack of motivation for adopting significant pro-environmental behavior (PEB). I identify three main barriers to motivation: the feeling that there is a need for broad collective (including, though not limited to, institutional and political) action that has not yet materialized, the lack of practical knowledge about what an individual can do in his/her daily life to address environmental problems, and insufficient feedback and approval mechanisms. Subsequently, I argue that an individual's social context may contribute in addressing all three. The motivation for the adoption of PEB behavior is connected to social interaction, which at times seems to shape individual behavior to a greater degree than other factors such as direct risk perception.