Protecting the environment for self-interested reasons: Altruism is not the only pathway to sustainability
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Concerns for environmental issues are important drivers of sustainable and pro-environmental behaviors, and can be differentiated between those with a self-enhancing (egoistic) vs. self-transcendent (biospheric) psychological foundation. Yet to date, the dominant approach for promoting pro-environmental behavior has focused on highlighting the benefits to others or nature, rather than appealing to self-interest. Building on the Inclusion Model for Environmental Concern, we argue that egoistic and biospheric environmental concerns, respectively, conceptualized as self-interest and altruism, are hierarchically structured, such that altruism is inclusive of self-interest. Three studies show that self-interested individuals will behave more pro-environmentally when the behavior results in a personal benefit (but not when there is exclusively an environmental benefit), while altruistic individuals will engage in pro-environmental behaviors when there are environmental benefits, and critically, also when there are personal benefits. The reported findings have implications for programs and policies designed to promote pro-environmental behavior, and for social science research aimed at understanding human responses to a changing environment.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Artikelnummer | 1065 |
Tidsskrift | Frontiers in Psychology |
Vol/bind | 8 |
Udgave nummer | JUN |
Antal sider | 13 |
ISSN | 1664-1078 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2017 |
Eksternt udgivet | Ja |
ID: 188685166