The effect of self-identity alongside perceived importance within the theory of planned behaviour

Self-identity often predicts behavioural intentions after standard theory of planned behaviour (TPB) components are accounted for (Rise, Sheeran, & Hukkelberg, 2010). However, Fishbein and Ajzen (2010) claim this is due to conceptual similarity between self-identity and perceived importance of the behaviour. We examined this claim within the context of recycling food waste. Participants (N = 113) completed questionnaires assessing intentions, attitude, perceived behavioural control, perceived norms, perceived importance, self-identity, and past behaviour. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that self-identity and perceived importance were distinct constructs. Further, after accounting for TPB components and perceived importance, self-identity explained a significant amount of additional variance in intentions. The present findings therefore do not support Fishbein and Ajzen’s (2010) argument against the predictive utility of self-identity

Staying grounded? Applying the theory of planned behaviour to explore motivations to reduce air travel

Air travel has been highlighted as a key environmental behaviour contributing to climate change. Given this, there is a surprising lack of theory-based research aimed at identifying factors that underpin motivation to reduce the number of flights taken. This study explored whether an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model could be usefully applied to identify significant predictors of intentions to reduce the number of flights taken for leisure, holidays or to visit family or friends. Results supported the predictive utility of the TPB; the extended model was able to account for 52% of the variance in intentions over and above past behaviour and socio-demographic variables. Attitudes, subjective norms and behaviour-specific self-identity emerged as significant linear predictors. Findings support the utility of applying the TPB to air travel and suggest key variables which could be targeted in interventions to promote motivation to reduce the number of flights taken

Financial concern predicts deteriorations in mental and physical health among university students

Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether students’ financial concerns predicted subsequent changes in their mental and physical health. In addition the opportunity was taken to test for reverse causality, by exploring whether initial levels of health predicted subsequent changes in financial concern. Design. The study employed a prospective correlational design. Main Outcome Measures. Undergraduate students at a British university (N = 337) completed measures of financial concern and health at two time points, approximately eight weeks apart. Results. Regression analyses indicated that experiencing greater financial concern at baseline was associated with subsequent deteriorations in health on the following outcomes: role limitation due to physical health problems, role limitation due to emotional problems, social functioning, mental health, general health perception and change in health. By contrast, there was no evidence that initial health influenced subsequent changes in financial concern. Conclusion. Findings suggest that financial concern might adversely impact mental and physical health outcomes in student populations

Identifying motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste

The amount of food discarded by UK households is substantial and, to a large extent, avoidable. Furthermore, such food waste has serious environmental consequences. If household food waste reduction initiatives are to be successful they will need to be informed by people's motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste. This paper reports a qualitative study of the thoughts, feelings and experiences of 15 UK household food purchasers, based on semi-structured interviews. Two core categories of motives to minimise household food waste were identified: (1) waste concerns and (2) doing the ‘right’ thing. A third core category illustrated the importance of food management skills in empowering people to keep household food waste to a minimum. Four core categories of barriers to minimising food waste were also identified: (1) a ‘good’ provider identity; (2) minimising inconvenience; (3) lack of priority; and (4) exemption from responsibility. The wish to avoid experiencing negative emotions (such as guilt, frustration, annoyance, embarrassment or regret) underpinned both the motivations and the barriers to minimising food waste. Findings thus reveal potentially conflicting personal goals which may hinder existing food waste reduction attempts

Experimentally manipulated self-affirmation promotes reduced alcohol consumption in response to narrative information

Background: Health-risk information is increasingly being conveyed through accounts of personal experiences or narrative information. However, whether self-affirmation can enhance the ability of such messages to promote behavior change has yet to be established. Purpose: This study aims to test whether self-affirmation (a) promotes behavior change following exposure to narrative information about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption and (b) boosts message acceptance by increasing narrative engagement. Methods: In an experimental design, female drinkers (N = 142) reported their baseline alcohol consumption and were randomly allocated to condition (Self-Affirmation, Control). All participants next watched an extract of a genuine narrative piece in which the central character discussed her liver disease and its link with her previous alcohol consumption. Then, participants completed measures assessing engagement with the narrative and message acceptance. The primary outcome was alcohol consumption, assessed at 7-day follow-up. Results: Self-affirmed participants reported consuming significantly less alcohol at follow-up compared to baseline (mean 7-day decrease = 5.43 units); there was no change in alcohol consumption for the control group. Immediately post-manipulation, self-affirmed participants (vs. control) showed more message acceptance and reported greater engagement with the information. The impact of self-affirmation on message acceptance was mediated by narrative engagement. Conclusions: Self-affirmation can promote behavior change following exposure to health information, even when presented in narrative form

Self-affirmation improves music performance among performers high on the impulsivity dimension of sensation seeking

In the light of evidence that self-affirmation can mitigate the negative effects of stress on outcomes, this study tested whether a self-affirmation manipulation could improve undergraduate students’ achievement in a formal musical performance examination. The study also investigated the association between impulsivity and music performance and explored whether impulsivity moderated any impact of self-affirmation on exam performance. Methods: At baseline, participants provided demographic information and completed the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale (short-form), which assesses five dimensions of impulsivity (negative and positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking). In the subsequent 14 days, participants (N = 65) completed either a self-affirmation manipulation or a control task, before reading a message about the impact of practice on music performance. Music performance was formally assessed 14 days later. Findings: Sensation seeking was the only dimension of impulsivity associated with exam performance, with participants high in sensation seeking receiving lower grades. Critically, self-affirmation promoted better music performance among those high in sensation seeking. Discussion: Self-affirmation may provide a useful intervention to augment the performance of musicians who would otherwise perform worse than their counterparts under formal evaluative circumstances, such as those high in sensation seeking

Reflective and non-reflective antecedents of health-related behaviour: exploring the relative contributions of impulsivity and implicit self-control to the prediction of dietary behaviour

Objectives. This study (N= 139) explored whether two measures that capture non-reflective processing (viz. a self-report measure of impulsivity and a behavioural measure of implicit self-control) would contribute to the prediction of dietary behaviour over and above cognitive predictors specified by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Methods. Four dimensions of impulsivity were measured at Time 1. Implicit self-control was measured at Time 2, alongside TPB predictors relating to the avoidance of high-calorie snacks. At Time 3, participants reported their snacking behaviour over the previous 2 weeks. Results. Results revealed that both impulsivity and implicit self-control significantly contributed to the prediction of snacking behaviour over and above the TPB predictors. Conclusions. It was concluded that the predictive utility of models such as the TPB might be augmented by the inclusion of variables that capture non-reflective information processin

The moderating impact of self-esteem on self-affirmation effects

Objectives This study explored whether self-esteem would moderate the effectiveness of a self-affirmation manipulation at increasing openness to personally relevant health-risk information. Design The study employed a prospective experimental design. Method Participants (N = 328) completed either a self-affirmation manipulation or a control task, prior to reading information detailing the health-related consequences of taking insufficient exercise. They then completed a series of measures assessing their cognitions towards exercise and their derogation of the information. Exercise behaviour was assessed at 1-week follow-up. Results Self-esteem moderated the impact of self-affirmation on the majority of outcomes. For participants with low self-esteem, the self-affirmation manipulation resulted in more positive attitudes and intentions towards exercise, together with lower levels of derogation of the health-risk information. By contrast, there was no effect of the self-affirmation manipulation on outcomes for participants with high self-esteem. Conclusion Findings suggest that self-affirmation manipulations might be of particular benefit for those with low self-esteem in terms of promoting openness towards health-risk information. This is promising from a health promotion perspective, as individuals with low self-esteem often represent those most in need of intervention. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? •Self-affirmation has been shown to result in more open processing of personally relevant health-risk information. •Individuals low in self-esteem tend to process such information more defensively than those high in self-esteem. What does this study add? •It explores whether self-esteem moderates the impact of self-affirmation on responses to health-risk information. •Findings suggest that individuals with low self-esteem benefit most from the self-affirmation manipulation. •This has important applied implications, as individuals with low self-esteem may be most in need of intervention

'Spontaneity is a meticulously prepared art' (Oscar Wilde): commentary on Taber et al. (2016), associations of spontaneous self-affirmation with health care experiences and health information seeking in a national survey of US adults

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Adherence to asthma medication: the role of illness representations

The current study explores whether cognitive and emotional representations of asthma are associated with adherence to inhaled preventative asthma medication, as predicted by the Self-Regulatory Model (SRM). Three hundred and thirty individuals with asthma completed a questionnaire that assessed their cognitive and emotional representations of asthma and their adherence to prescribed medication. Multiple regression analyses revealed that including components of the SRM significantly improved the prediction of current adherence and intention to adhere in the future. Age, duration of asthma, gender, and components of the SRM were able to predict 28.7% of the variance in current adherence and 16.6% of the variance in intention to adhere. Current adherence was predicted by age, gender, certainty about asthma status, beliefs about antecedent causes, and beliefs about cure-control. Age, beliefs about cure-control, and beliefs about the duration of one's asthma significantly predicted intention to adhere in the future. It is concluded that future research is needed to test the SRM systematically and to explore the added value of incorporating emotional representations alongside cognitive representations. Such research may benefit from utilising innovative means of assessing emotional representations and should include beliefs about treatment. In addition, the possibility that representations of illness may not influence health behaviours linearly or uniformly across individuals should be considere