ABSTRACT
As the primary aim of SM is to prevent or change destructive behaviour and maintain constructive behaviour, it is paramount to have a closer look at the factors that current research identifies as decisive in directing human behaviour. Clearly behavioural change is a very complex area recognized by many. Take Tim Jackson’s telling statement:
In summary, my behaviour in any particular situation is a function partly of my attitudes and intentions, partly of my habitual responses, and partly of the situational constraints and conditions under which I operate. My intentions in their turn are influenced by social, normative and affective factors as well as by rational deliberations. I am neither fully deliberative nor fully automatic in this view. I am neither fully autonomous nor entirely social. My behaviours are influenced by my moral beliefs, but the impact of these is moderated both by my emotional drives and my cognitive limitations.
(Jackson, 2005, p. 6) The above opinion has been reflected by many social marketers too. SM literature reflects many potential influences on our behaviour combining both theory and practice. In this chapter we will briefly remind ourselves about the complexity involved in addressing SM projects and then, in the following chapters, proceed to focus in turn on each of the key identified areas.