This preprint introduces the Integrated Contextual Practice Theory (ICPT), a novel socio-mathematical heuristic framework designed to explain and model the persistent gap between human values and observable behaviour, commonly known as the value-action gap. Drawing upon the theoretical traditions of Bourdieu, Giddens, contemporary practice theory, social identity theory, and behavioural prediction models, ICPT proposes that human action emerges through the interaction of five key variables: Habitus (H), Values (V), Identity Need (I), Contextual Stress (Cs), and the Cultural Governor (C). The framework conceptualizes individuals as Adaptive Agents who do not simply abandon their values under pressure but instead negotiate structural constraints through context-dependent behavioural adaptation. ICPT formalizes this process through a heuristic equation that generates a Practice Propensity (P) score, allowing researchers to examine how behavioural outcomes shift under changing social, economic, institutional, and cultural conditions. Beyond theoretical development, the paper outlines an empirical measurement protocol, testable hypotheses, and practical applications across public policy, sustainability, public health, organizational ethics, consumer behaviour, poverty studies, and AI-based behavioural modelling. The model is currently undergoing initial empirical calibration through comparative qualitative fieldwork examining dietary adaptation among Bangladeshi postgraduate students in Bangladesh and Malaysia. This work is presented as an open-source developmental framework intended to stimulate interdisciplinary discussion, empirical testing, replication, critique, and further refinement. It does not claim to be a deterministic law of human behaviour but rather a mid-range heuristic model designed to improve the predictive and explanatory capacity of contemporary social theory
Tanvir Ferdous (Tue,) studied this question.