ABSTRACT
Control beliefs about environmental impacts of human action have been shown to be an important determinant of individuals’ readiness to adopt responsible environmental behaviors. However, due to the specific character of environmental impacts as mostly unintended and indirect consequences of collective action, it is very difficult for individuals to develop strong and differentiated control beliefs in this domain. Therefore, although a majority of people express strong environmental concern, they often feel helpless regarding the effects of their personal behavior. In this chapter, the relevance of different aspects of control, as well as of development and change of control beliefs for environmental behavior, is examined.
