ABSTRACT
The last phase of the Rubicon model concerns action execution. When entering the executive phase, there are a variety of ways in which the commitment to carrying out a deliberately chosen sustainable action may still run aground. This chapter considers, from the intrapersonal perspective, another element of Bratman’s theory – the inclination to nonreflectively reconsider an intention – and we discuss why some agents do so more easily than others. It asks: What indications are there that sustainable actions are a special case as far as weakness of will and procrastination are concerned? Then, theories of self-efficacy and self-control from psychology are discussed, providing insights into the resources that agents need for action execution. As with the discussion of the commitment phase, the chapter ends with discussion of an intersubjective aspect of action execution: What would be the effect on one’s identity formation if one were confronted with severe resistance from significant other agents while taking a morally relevant action?
