This study suggests the importance of exploring how and why some people may actively resist engaging in compassionate experiences or behaviours and be fearful of affiliative emotions in general. This has important implications for therapeutic interventions and the therapeutic relationship because affiliative emotions are major regulators of threat-based emotions.
This study used meta-analysis: (a) to quantify the relationship between descriptive norms and intentions, and (b) to determine the increment in variance attributable to descriptive norms after variables from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) had been controlled. Literature searches revealed twenty-one hypotheses based on a total sample of N = 8097 that could be included in the review. Overall, there was a medium to strong sample-weighted average correlation between descriptive norms and intentions (r+ = .44). Regression analysis showed that descriptive norms increased the variance explained in intention by 5 percent after attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control had been taken into account. Moderator analyses indicated that younger samples and health risk behaviours were both associated with stronger correlations between descriptive norms and intentions. Implications of the findings for the conceptualization of social influences in the TPB are discussed.T he theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) is perhaps the most influen tial theory for the prediction of social and health behaviours. This model is an extension of the theory of reasoned action (TRA; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) and incorporates both social influences and personal factors as predictors. Social influences are conceptualized in terms of the pressure that people perceive from important others to perform, or not to perform, a behaviour (subjective norm). Subjective norm is determined by beliefs about the extent to which important others want them to perform a behaviour (normative beliefs, e.g., "My friends think that I should engage in a binge drinking session") multiplied by one's motivation to comply with those people's views (e.g., "I generally want to do what my friends think I should do"). Subjective norms are proposed to influence behaviour through their impact upon intentions, (e.g., "I intend to engage in a binge drinking session"). Intentions summarize a person's motivation to act in a particular manner and indicate how hard the person is willing to try and how much time and effort he or she is willing to devote in order to perform a behaviour. Also important in the prediction of intentions are people's positive or negative evaluations of their performing a behaviour (attitudes, e.g., "For me, engaging in a binge drinking session would be wise/foolish") and the degree of control that they believe they have over performing the behaviour (perceived behavioural control, e.g., "Engaging in a binge drinking session is entirely under/outside my control"). Like subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioural control are determined by cer-
Meta-analysis was used to determine the predictive validity of anticipated affect and moral norms in the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). Medium-tolarge sample-weighted average correlations were obtained. Anticipated affect and moral norms increased the variance explained in intentions by 5% and 3%, respectively, controlling for TPB variables. Intention mediated the influence of both variables on behavior. Moderator analyses showed that younger samples and behaviors with a moral dimension were associated with stronger moral-norm/intention relations, and anticipated regret was associated with a stronger anticipated-affect/ intention relation. The implications of the findings for the TPB are discussed.j asp_558 2985..3019The theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) is perhaps the most influential theory for the prediction of social and health behaviors. This model derives from the earlier theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) and holds that the most immediate determinant of behavior is the individual's intention to perform the behavior. Intentions summarize the motivational factors that influence performance of a behavior (Ajzen, 1991;Webb & Sheeran, 2005) and indicate how hard people are willing to try to perform the behavior.Intention, in turn, is determined by three constructs: attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Attitudes are conceptualized as people's positive or negative evaluations of their performing a behavior (e.g., "For me, engaging in a binge drinking session would be pleasant/ unpleasant"). Subjective norm refers to the pressure that people perceive from important others to perform, or not to perform, a behavior (e.g., "My friends think that I should engage in a binge drinking session"). Ajzen (1991) added perceived behavioral control (PBC) as a third predictor of behavioral
The present research suggests that variables from the PWM, especially prototype similarity, enhance the predictive validity of the TPB. The findings also provide new evidence that acquiring the characteristics of both health and risk images may be goals among adolescents and suggest that both healthy and risky prototypes constitute useful cognitive targets for interventions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.