You determine your own behavior. However??! Maybe not quite. Stopping certain behavior seems to be difficult. Ajzen was very curious about this phenomenon and did research into it. Finally he came up with the theory of planned behavior. This theory goes from the intention of behavior, to the variables that influence it according to Ajzen, to the final behavior. The variables that influence this are attitude towards the behavior, a social norm and perceived behavioral control.
What does the theory of planned behavior look like?
According to Ajzen, there are three important variables that influence the strength of the intention to perform the behavior. These consist of attitude, social/subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The intention of behavior is the ultimate predictor of the behavior itself.
Attitude
An attitude is an attitude or opinion about something. For example about smoking: do you find this dirty? Then you will be less likely to do that. Do you think it’s cool? Then it is likely that you will start smoking yourself. The strength of the attitude is determined by various parts of that attitude. For example:
- Smoking is dirty (negative)
- Smoking is cool (positive)
- Smoking costs a lot of money (negative)
There are three parts that determine what you think about smoking. From this you could conclude that the person who thinks this way will not start smoking; after all, there are two negative arguments against one positive argument. But the importance given to each part also counts. For example, someone may find smoking dirty and expensive, but this does not outweigh the fact that smoking is cool.
Social/subjective norm
People want to belong. That is why behaviors and opinions are important to us. And we also look at what others do or don’t do. If the entire group smokes, this is an aspect that you observe. This can then be experienced as a social norm (it is normal). The extent to which someone wants to conform (participate) with others plays a major role: does that person want to adapt to the group?
Yet there is another aspect that plays a role here, namely what you think others think. It is not about whether those others actually think so.
Perceived behavioral control
Perceived behavioral control is the extent to which someone believes they are able to actually perform the behavior. It is not about whether someone can actually do it, but about perception. Previous experiences play an important role: have there been previous successes with this behavior? Or just failure experiences?
Feedback
Every time you perform a behavior, you receive feedback about it. You take your first drag on the cigarette and start coughing terribly. It is possible that the attitude is expanded to include that smoking makes you cough (negative) and because all your friends also laugh, it is perceived as a social norm when I am laughed at. Ultimately, you may decide not to smoke.
What does the theory of planned behavior look like in a model?
When does the theory of planned behavior work at its best?
Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior works best when the behavior is more specified. This concerns the action (I am going to smoke), its purpose (I want to belong), the context in which the behavior must take place (in the youth center with all my friends present) and the time (tomorrow at 9 o’clock). Furthermore, it is important that there is not too much time between determining the variables and the behavior, otherwise the variables may have changed again.
What are the pitfalls of the theory of planned behavior?
As with any theory, there are often pitfalls. People are often creatures of habit and often do not consciously plan their behavior.
Attitude
Long-term benefits are often rated less highly than short-term benefits (instant gratification). It is also true that disadvantages weigh less heavily in the long term. For example, smoking may dismiss the long-term diseases that can occur, while short-term benefits (e.g. belonging) carry extra weight.
Social/subjective norm
The false consensus effect can easily occur here. This means that it is easy to overestimate how many people share your attitude. As a result, the perceived social norm is often not far away from the person’s own attitude about a subject.
Perceived behavioral control
People are quick to overestimate their control over certain outcomes. This may lead you to think that something can be done easily, but the opposite is true. However, when people experience that their capabilities and attitudes do not match, one of two things is adjusted. Behavior can no longer be performed at all, the value attached to it can be reduced or additional positive elements can be collected (so that behavior and attitude still correspond).
read more
- Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory
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