Category: Behavior Change theories
Maslow did not create Maslow’s pyramid
Three weeks before, I had to unlearn my learning about Maslow’s pyramid; it is not his. He did not build it to explain his theory about human motivation; “Maslow did not build a pyramid to explain his theory”. I read about it for the first time in a Scientific American…
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 behaviour
Can we change behaviour by changing attitudes? Not really, contrary to popular belief. The connection between attitude and behaviour is complex. In the 1960s, Fishbein and Ajzen explored the connection between attitude and behaviour. Based on the findings, they developed a theory to explain the connection between the two. It…
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
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a mental tool. It helps us to create messages to persuade others to start healthier habits. It also helps us to design upstream public health interventions. In this blog post, we will explore, Health Belief Model’s origins The model has a rich history. It…