Situational and Personality Factors as Direct or Personal Norm Mediated Predictors of Pro-environmental Behavior: Questions Derived From Norm-activation Theory

Studies that use the norm activation theory (Schwartz, 1977 Schwartz , S. H. ( 1977 ). Normative influences on altruism . In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10 , pp. 221 – 279 ). New York : Academic Press .Crossref , Google Scholar) to explain pro-environmental behavior often focus on personal norms and on two situational activators, i.e., awareness of need and situational responsibility (e.g., Vining & Ebreo, 1992 Vining , J. , & Ebreo , A. ( 1992 ). Predicting recycling behavior from global and specific environmental attitudes and changes in recycling opportunities . Journal of Applied Social Psychology , 22 , 1580 – 1607 .Crossref, Web of Science ® , Google Scholar). The theory's other situational activators, efficacy and ability, and its personality trait activators, awareness of consequences and denial of responsibility, are generally ignored. The current article reports on two studies - a mail survey among the general public (N = 345) and a laboratory experiment among university freshmen (N = 166)–that found that (1) inclusion of additional activators improved the norm activation theory's potential to explain pro-environmental behavior and (2) personal norms significantly mediated the impact of activators on pro-environmental behavior. Theoretical issues and issues concerning environmental management evoked by these results are discussed.