Clear Self-Concept, Green Actions: Self-Concept Clarity Promotes Pro-Environmental Behaviors via Global Self-Continuity

Mitigating global climate change is an urgent challenge, exacerbated by many daily behaviors. Therefore, finding effective strategies to encourage environmentally friendly actions is crucial. We hypothesized that self-concept clarity enhances pro-environmental behaviors through global self-continuity. To test this, we conducted four experimental studies, two preregistered. Compared to participants with low self-concept clarity, those with high self-concept clarity demonstrated a preference for watching a video about learning reuse knowledge over a magic show (Study 1), engaged more frequently in environmental protection activities (Study 2), voted in favor of pro-environmental policies (Study 3), and scored higher on a pro-environmental scale (Study 4). Additionally, global self-continuity mediated the relationship between self-concept clarity and pro-environmental behaviors, beyond the effects of self-esteem and positive affect (Study 4). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.