Category: Behavior Change theories
How social norms shape our behavior
You must have been in a library; you stay silent. That is a classic social norm example. Another common one is littering. As we all know social norms can either be socially desirable or socially undesirable. Every day we adhere to social norms that are an array of unwritten sets…
Theories of reasoned action and planned behavior
Can we change behaviour by changing attitudes towards the behaviour of concern? Not really, contrary to the popular belief. The connection between attitude and behaviour is not straightforward. In the 1960s, Fishbein and Ajzen concluded it by reviewing research published to that date. They developed a theory to explain the…
Stages of Self-Change
Although behaviour change occurs in a continuum, researchers have identified stages of self-change in some behaviours such as quitting smoking. Let us embark on this journey starting 37 years ago: In 1983. 1983: “Stages of change” Since the early 1980s, two researchers – James Prochaska and Carlos DiClemente – had…
Health Belief Model
Historical context: In the 1950s, pulmonary tuberculosis became rampant in some neighbourhoods in the US. To catch the bacteria as early as possible, the US health authorities had been X-raying people’s chests to detect lung changes that are caused by this micro beast. However, there was a problem; even though…
Health Belief Model in message framing
What is it for? Health Belief Model (HBM) theorizes how our beliefs influence our attitudes and then actions. Previous posts about its origin in the 1960s, a review decade after its introduction, and another review 60 years later in 2010 provide a detailed understanding of the model. How does it…
