ABSTRACT

Increasingly it is being recognized that consumer behavior may be a key trigger in the march toward sustainable development. Several lines of psychological theory and approaches have been developed relatively independently, each of which may provide major implications and action points on how consumers might be moved toward more sustainable behavior. This book is the first that brings together this variety of perspectives and theoretical angles around the common ambition of sustainable development.

The contributors are all leading social scientists in the field of consumer behavior who met the challenge to sketch out their theoretical perspectives, but also to go beyond their normal theorizing and think out of the box in order to show how these theoretical perspectives might be made actionable in terms of key managerial and policy perspectives toward sustainable development.

The result is a book that shows a wealth of information and approaches the question of how to encourage sustainable behavior from a myriad of divergent perspectives. This should stimulate scientists and policy-makers alike to find similarities, differences, and synergies between state-of-the-art psychological thinking about how to most effectively stimulate sustainable consumer behavior.

part |10 pages

Introduction

part |55 pages

Strengthening the Sustainability Goal

chapter |10 pages

I Just Recycled. Can I Use the Car Now?

When People Continue or Discontinue Behaving Sustainably after an Initial Sustainable Act

chapter |20 pages

Think Globally, Act Locally

Construal Levels and Environmentally Relevant Decision Making

chapter |9 pages

Is the Sky Falling?

The Notion of the Absurd Versus the Feeling of the Absurd

part |27 pages

Exploiting Self-Control in Sustainable Behavior

part |63 pages

Making Sustainability Personally Relevant

chapter |15 pages

The Psychology of Sustainability

Attitudes, Identities, Actions, and Engaging with the Welfare of Others

chapter |17 pages

Toward Sustainable Social Identities

Including Our Collective Future Into the Self-Concept

part |17 pages

Enhancing Sustainable Behavior in Practice

chapter |15 pages

This Was All Very Interesting, But How Can We Use It?

A Practitioner's Guide to Sustainable Behavior