ABSTRACT
Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Psychology for Sustainability, 5th edition, comprise a section titled Psychology for a Sustainable Future, covering psychological theory and research relevant for understanding, and changing, unsustainable behavior. This final chapter of the section, Chapter 8, presents motivation as a mix of individual differences, cognitions, and situational constraints that direct, mobilize, and maintain effort. Psychology can explain the process of motivation and predict when people will likely act. Motivation theories provide structure for research projects, measurement tools, and real-world solutions. The chapter covers need-based theories such as self-determination theory, including its components (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), implications (amotivation to extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation) and real and perceived differences that are based on power and privilege. Also presented are the elements (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions) and research domains (home energy use, climate change adaptation, travel mode choice, and political action) of the theory of planned behavior, including the attitude-behavior gap and cultural differences in predictions. Situational forces such as fairness perceptions (distributive rules of equality, equity, and need; procedural, interactional, and recognition justice), systemic effects of power and privilege, and individual differences, including equity sensitivity, are discussed. The chapter unpacks effective goal setting (SMART-specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound) and phenomena of spillover, single-action bias, and the rebound effect. It illustrates the role of feedback as a behavioral consequence and its effects on persistence. The chapter concludes with the stages of change model (precontemplation, preaction, action, and postaction), reinforcing that people vary in readiness and need different resources at each stage.
