Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
10-2019
Abstract
We review research that provides a sociocultural perspective on proenvironmental support. Despite the increasing volume of psychological research on proenvironmental action, there has been a relative dearth of consideration of sociocultural contexts, which poses critical theoretical and practical limitations to understanding and fostering proenvironmental actions across diverse populations. The sociocultural perspective posits that the primary motives driving action are context dependent. Building on this perspective, our research examines significant divergence in key determinants of proenvironmental support, focusing on several sociocultural variables, including national culture (individualism-collectivism), socioeconomic status, and religion. This program of research shows that personal environmental beliefs more directly lead to proenvironmental support in sociocultural contexts that prioritize personal motives over social motives. In contrast, in contexts that prioritize social motives, social influence becomes a more important predictor of proenvironmental support. Solving environmental challenges requires leveraging psychological diversity to motivate people across the globe.
Keywords
environmental behavior, culture, socioeconomic status, religion, environmental belief
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Place and Environment | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Current Directions in Psychological Science
Volume
28
Issue
5
First Page
490
Last Page
495
ISSN
0963-7214
Identifier
10.1177/0963721419854099
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Citation
EOM, Kimin, PAPADAKIS, Viki, SHERMAN, David K., & KIM, Heejung S..(2019). The psychology of pro-environmental support: A global problem in need of global solutions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(5), 490-495.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3117
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419854099
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Social Psychology Commons