Believing That We Can Change Our World for the Better: A Triple-A (Agent-Action-Aim) Framework of Self-Efficacy Beliefs in the Context of Collective Social and Ecological Aims

Abstract

Social and ecological crises require people to act together, for instance, against climate change or social injustice. Psychological scholarship suggests that human agency, in terms of individuals’ self-efficacy and collective efficacy, plays a crucial role in motivating people to act for a better world. However, progress in this field and hence the utilization of its accumulated knowledge is hindered by manifold conceptualizations and operationalizations. We therefore identify key problems in how the concept of self-efficacy has evolved and been used in the domain of environmental protection and then present a conceptual solution: the triple-A framework. This framework organizes and integrates theoretical insights by differentiating which agents, actions, and aims are involved in assessments of efficacy. We then illustrate the framework’s broader application and highlight recommendations for improved measurement of self-efficacy beliefs. We further offer a research agenda on how human agency can be utilized to promote social and ecological aims. Public Abstract Many people do not act together against climate change or social inequalities because they feel they or their group cannot make a difference. Understanding how people come to feel that they can achieve something (a perception of self-efficacy) is therefore crucial for motivating people to act together for a better world. However, it is difficult to summarize already existing self-efficacy research because previous studies have used many different ways of naming and measuring it. In this article, we uncover the problems that this raises and propose the triple-A framework as a solution. This new framework shows which agents, actions, and aims are important for understanding self-efficacy. By offering specific recommendations for measuring self-efficacy, the triple-A framework creates a basis for mobilizing human agency in the context of climate change and social injustice.

From the Illusion of Choice to Actual Control: Reconsidering the Induced-Compliance Paradigm of Cognitive Dissonance

“…The present perspective highlights the need for dissonance research to refine its methods and theoretical frameworks in multiple ways. First, a promising avenue may be to borrow from models and methods from personal control research (Hamann et al, 2023;Pauer et al, 2022;Skinner, 1996). This could involve manipulating not only behavioral control (perceived choice), but also control over behavioral outcomes, compensatory control, and generalized control.…”

Feeling good about teamwork: the roles of personality and manifest needs

“…Talent managers can also create interventions to enhance the TSE of a team to help teams become more self-directed and productive (Ghosh et al, 2023). From a social perspective, fostering high levels of TSE plays a critical role in motivating groups toward social action (Hamann et al, 2023). Often people do not act together against social and ecological crises because they fear they cannot make a difference.…”

Beyond normative and non-normative: A systematic review on predictors of confrontational collective action

“…Last, even though the majority of research provides more conclusive evidence on the positive relationship between efficacy and confrontational collective action (e.g., Drury et al, 2020Drury et al, , 2022Medel et al, 2022;Saguy et al, 2020;Thomas et al, 2019), there are some contradictory results which stems from the measurement and conceptualization of the efficacy (for discussion see Hamann et al, 2023). Accordingly, research provides comparatively robust evidence for the positive relationship between group efficacy and confrontational collective action, more studies are needed for the relationship between the perceived efficacy of particular protest tactics and confrontational collective action (see Lizzio-Wilson et al, 2022;Saab et al, 2016).…”