Transcript The Psychology of Environmental Behaviour Change

Psychology and Best Practice in energy
efficiency and climate change
Dr Mike Page
University of Hertfordshire
1
Why Psychology?
• Climate change is not just (not even?) a
technological problem but is also a profound
behavioural problem.
• Cognitive and social-cognitive psychology tells
us much about the way in which people think
and behave
– for example, changing attitudes does not
necessarily change behaviour.
2
HOT Topics
• Habits
• Opportunities
• Thoughts
3
Opportunities
What don’t we see?
4
Inattentional blindness
There is a sense in which people don’t see things
to which they are not paying attention.
This is not just true of artificial “laboratory
situations”.
Sometimes people don’t even see things that
are very much in their interest (cf. Luck School)
5
6
7
Green opportunities
How many of us don’t see the energy that we’re
wasting?
How many opportunities do we routinely miss
for reducing our impact on the environment
and, simultaneously, our impact on costs?
BUT simply knowing about it doesn’t always
help…
8
Thoughts
“Men are not disturbed by things, but the view
that they take of them” Epictetus (55-135 C.E.)
This is the foundational credo of the Cognitive
and Behavioural Therapies (CBT and REBT).
How can we adapt this insight to green issues?
9
ABCs and NATs
Activating events → Beliefs → Consequences
These beliefs are often negative automatic
thoughts (NATs) that flood the mind at times of
challenge
What are your environment-related NATs?
10
A possible environmental NAT?
It’s no use me doing anything! What about the Chinese?
11
Historical Responsibility
12
NET: LED lighting
• But aren’t LEDs very expensive?
• For an 8W LED replacing a 35W “energy
saving” halogen downlighter, on 20 hours per
day.
120
100
80
£
60
Halogen
40
LED
20
0
1
301
601
901
1201
Days
13
Rules for living
• In order to reduce the incidence of negative
automatic thoughts, people often devise “rules
for living”, giving rise to habitual behaviour.
• These rules establish what people think of as a
comfort zone.
• More often than not this is actually a
discomfort zone.
14
Habits – FIT insights
• habits don’t come in ones – they are linked
together in habit-webs
• habits cannot be broken in ones
• habit-breaking is somewhat generic (cf. NDD)
• both behaviour and thinking can be habitual
• if you want a different result then Do
Something Different
15
FIT
• FIT is a scientifically researched development
tool for individuals and organizations.
• It includes a number of measurement
instruments based around the FIT Profiler.
• The FIT Profiler measures behaviour on 15
dimensions, specifically addressing the degree
of flexibility in each.
• FIT also measures 5 dimensions of thinking and
decision-making.
16
FIT (contd.)
FIT Profiles are diagnostic and are used to
motivate positive development via a tailored
DSD program comprising generic and specific
elements.
This program is the equivalent of a series of
behavioural experiments, to break habit-webs,
to encourage flexibility and to drive behaviour
change
17
Messages for a Green Psychology
• thoughts have consequences
• we should recognize thoughts as thoughts not
necessarily facts
• Unhelpful thoughts can be replaced by helpful
ones
• acceptance at a gut level involves practice via
discrete behavioural experiments
• we best break habits by breaking habit-webs
• things only change if we Do Something Different
18
The EASIER Project and Green Potential
The EASIER Project aims to reduce the carbon
emissions of participating SMEs by 20%, via
targeted advice of Green Potential partners.
Among the specialist advice that the businesses will
get (energy, transport, ISO14001,marketing), they
will be encouraged to develop their behavioural
flexibility.
Green Potential is the equivalent consultancy
offering.
19
Green Psychology and the CUBE Project
The CUBE Project is an ambitious attempt to build a
compact (3mx3mx3m) home in which one person
can live with a minimum impact on the
environment.
The CUBE Project has attracted the collaboration of
a number of high-profile producers of low-carbon
technologies, and the first CUBE was exhibited at
the Edinburgh International Science Festival last
month.
20
The Cube Project at the Edinburgh
International Science Festival
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The Cube Project at the Edinburgh
International Science Festival (contd.)
22
Thank you for your attention
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