• 12 Aug 2024
• 2024

Be mindful of what you say: Why people might have a negative attitude toward pro-environmental actions?

Here are two different slogans: "Think about the environment" and "Waste less, live more. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle!". How do you feel about them? If you tend to have a more disliked attitude toward the second sentence, you are of the majority.

Many studies have indicated that . Individuals may react negatively when they think a sign strongly suggests a desired action. Moreover, there may be a discrepancy between what a sign aims to communicate and how individuals perceive and react to the message.

A situation such as this can be referred to as “Psychological Reactance”. While it may not always be easy to recognize, understanding what psychological reactance is and how it works may help you identify it in your own life and know when it is best to apply it.

Psychological Reactance in Environment Preservation

Psychological reactance is defined as . As a result of this unpleasant reaction, you end up doing the exact opposite of what they are trying to persuade you to do. By this, people may be attempting to demonstrate their individuality and autonomy. For instance, at art exhibitions, viewers often want to touch, move, lean on the artwork or walk into the installations.

Source: vccavietnam

Therefore, there is every likelihood that people have negative thoughts and often experience anger, hostility, and aggression once reactance is happening in their minds and bodies. People are then more compelled to react strongly to threats to their freedom. Consequently, people might rebel against the advised or prescribed action in an attempt to restore one’s freedom. And even if you are instructed to use paper cups to protect the environment, you may choose to use plastic cups on purpose. This type of reaction is referred to as “direct restoration.” Other alternatives include deciding to like the prescribed activity; that is, altering your opinion about how you feel about paper cups or thinking, "I wanted to start using paper cups anyway!" Or deny the threat of freedom as if it had never happened.

So… What to do in these situations?

One technique to prevent psychological reactance is to reframe the experience such that it is no longer a danger to freedom. We should bear in mind that just because someone suggests to us something does not mean they want to express superiority or attempt to dominate us. , reminding participants that "they are free to decide for themselves what is good for them" after being encouraged to undertake a specific health habit, such as wearing sunscreen, was effective in reducing reactance. creating empathy or encouraging the threatened individual to imagine themselves in the position of the person advising them on what to do can assist in minimizing reactance.

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Another approach is to employ social psychology, which focuses on social norms and their persuasive power. Social psychology can be divided into two types of normative appeals: injunctive and descriptive. Injunctive norms entail social sanctions; individuals are motivated to conform by the perceived pressure to conform because they want to avoid societal punishments for not complying with the norm; while descriptive norms drive individuals to comply with the norm by expecting that since the majority of people engage in a particular action, it must be the best or proper thing to do. 

In practice, and when not in conflict with reality, designing campaigns based on descriptive normative appeals appears to be the most preferred way, as there will be higher chances to promote an individual pro-environmental behavior. “82% of students compost their food scraps in the designated bins”, or “Turn off lights and electronics when you leave a room” are some of the common signs employing descriptive norms that we usually observe.

However, sometimes descriptive normative appeals can have the reverse effect, resulting in a boomerang effect. More specifically, several studies employing descriptive normative appeals have identified groups of individuals who either engage in the opposite behavior or are not affected by the appeal. Injunctive normative appeals may prove more efficient. They are more suited in situations where deliberation is improbable, their influence lasts longer, and they lessen boomerang effects when used in conjunction with descriptive normative appeals. To illustrate, rather than saying "Waste less, live more. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle!", a simple "Think about the environment" is enough for people to take action.

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End notes

Psychological reactance theory posits that any attempt to convince people to modify their existing attitudes or behaviors may be perceived as a danger to both their individualness and freedom to choose. Consequently, understanding how people react to pro-environmental messaging in specific contexts is critical for making social norms campaigns more effective. Additionally, when targeting audiences with normative appeals, campaign designers must pay attention to and tailor the appeal to the audiences’ specific characteristics. Given the continuously reduced psychological reactance and greater behavioral intentions after descriptive normative appeals, practitioners should be aware that people tend to favor appeals that offer information on what is often done rather than appeals that mandate what should be done.

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New, photos: DSA