Habit and identity : Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and motivational facets of an integrated self

Acknowledgements The authors thank Anna Gladwin, Viknesh Jeevachandran, and Imogen Ormston for their contributions to programming and data collection and Eve Legrand and Greg Maio for their insightful comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Habits In virtual Teams: An Exploratory Study

Despite the differences between virtual and collocated teams, empirical studies have identified a number of challenges that virtual teams experience. We argue, in this work-in-progress study, that habits constitute a good explanatory factor for understanding behaviour in the virtual team environment. In this study, we analyse ‘offline’ habits in the cases of student-based global virtual teams and examine the degree to which these have been modified or replicated within an online, virtual team situation

On the nature of eco-anxiety: How constructive or unconstructive is habitual worry about global warming?

Three studies investigated habitual worry about global warming as an example of 'eco-anxiety'. The key question was whether such worrying is constructive (a motivated pro-environmental response) or unconstructive (a symptom of pathological worry). Pathological worry and worry about global warming were assessed together with two other worry sources, that is, personal issues and the world economy (Study 1) and personal issues and the corona virus (Study 2). In both studies a statistically significant correlation was found between pathological worry and global warming worry. However, this relationship was nonsignificant when controlled for the other two worry sources. Comparisons between Studies 1 and 2 conducted one month before and during the COVID-19 crisis, respectively, as well as between order conditions within Study 2 suggested that global warming worry was unaffected by the COVID-19 context. Study 3 demonstrated that global warming worry was associated with the perception of a proximal and distal threat, and correlated positively with determinants of pro-environmental behaviour, that is, a pro-ecological worldview, pro-environmental values, past pro-environmental behaviour and a 'green' identity. Global warming worry also correlated positively with emotion clusters signifying determination, anxiety, and anger, respectively. The three studies together suggest that while habitual global warming worry may be unconstructive and part of intrapersonal dysfunction for some individuals, for many others it is a constructive adaptive pro-environmental response

Empowering interventions to promote sustainable lifestyles: testing the habit discontinuity hypothesis in a field experiment

AbstractThis study tested the habit discontinuity hypothesis, which states that behaviour change interventions are more effective when delivered in the context of life course changes. The assumption was that when habits are (temporarily) disturbed, people are more sensitive to new information and adopt a mind-set that is conducive to behaviour change. A field experiment was conducted among 800 participants, who received either an intervention promoting sustainable behaviours, or were in a no-intervention control condition. In both conditions half of the households had recently relocated, and were matched with households that had not relocated. Self-reported frequencies of twenty-five environment-related behaviours were assessed at baseline and eight weeks later. While controlling for past behaviour, habit strength, intentions, perceived control, biospheric values, personal norms, and personal involvement, the intervention was more effective among recently relocated participants. The results suggested that the duration of the ‘window of opportunity’ was three months after relocation

Attitudes Habits and Behavior Change

Efforts to guide peoples’ behavior towards environmental sustainability, good health, or new products have emphasized informational and attitude change strategies. There is evidence that changing attitudes leads to changes in behavior, yet this approach takes insufficient account of the nature and operation of habits, which form boundary conditions for attitude-directed interventions. Integration of research on attitudes and habits might enable investigators to identify when and how behavior change strategies will be most effective. How might attitudinally driven behavior change be consolidated into lasting habits? How do habits protect the individual against the vicissitudes of attitudes and temptations and promote goal achievement? How might attitudinal approaches to change habits be improved by capitalizing on habit discontinuities and strategic planning? When and how might changing or creating habit architecture shape habits directly? A systematic approach to these questions might help move behavior change efforts from attitude change strategies to habit change strategies