The value of personal norms (Schwartz, 1977) for proenvironmental behavior has been demonstrated in previous studies (e.g., Vining & Ebreo, 1992), but not in addition to the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen & Madden, 1986). In the present study, this combination was investigated by means of a mail survey among a sample of 305 Dutch citizens who were enlisted to participate in a behavioral change intervention program on environmentally relevant behavior. Personal norms appear to increase the proportion of explained variance in 5 intentions and 4 self‐reported measures of performed environmentally relevant behaviors beyond that explained by three of the theory of planned behavior constructs (i.e., attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control). Issues evoked by these results are discussed.
Interventions for voluntary proenvironmental behavior change usually target a limited number of behaviors and have difficulties in achieving durable change. The EcoTeam Program (ETP) is an intervention package that aims to overcome these flaws. Through a combination of information, feedback, and social interaction in a group-the EcoTeam-participants focus on the environmental consequences of their household behavior. The 3-year longitudinal study found that ETP participants (N = 150) changed half of the 38 household behaviors examined, with corresponding reductions on four physical measures of resource use. These improvements were maintained or enlarged 2 years after completion of the ETP, amounting to savings from 7% on water consumption to 32% on solid waste deposition. A detailed analysis of one behavior, means of transportation, suggests that change can be predicted from the interplay between behavioral intention and habitual performance before participation, and the degree of social influence experienced in the EcoTeam during participation.
This article addresses the relationship between problem behaviors inside school (misbehavior) and outside school (delinquency). Self-report data about 12 types of misbehavior and 9 types of delinquency were collected among 1,978 secondary school students in The Netherlands of which 1,385 were followed up one year later. The relationship between misbehavior and delinquency was not studied before in such detail. The findings show that there is a general relationship between misbehavior inside school and delinquency elsewhere; however, this relationship appears to be less strong than suggested by earlier studies. Also the predictive value of misbehavior for later delinquency is limited because one half of the respondents who misbehave at school are not involved in delinquency one year later. However, serious forms of misbehavior do seem to increase the risk of later delinquency considerably. These findings nuance conclusions of earlier studies on the misbehavior-delinquency relationship.
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