Does Committing to Green Goals Always Lead to Impactful Action? An Identity‐Goal Perspective

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dc.abstract.enMany people see caring for the environment as part of who they are and what they believe is morally right. Yet even when protecting nature is valued, consistently acting in environmentally friendly ways in everyday life can be difficult. In this paper, we adopt an identity-goal perspective and discuss why people who set green goals and feel environmentally responsible may choose quick and easy actions that signal concern but have limited real impact. Committing to the identity goal of being a green person might be the best route to success. However, there may also be potential downsides. When people feel they have already done enough to see themselves as environmentally responsible, they may stop putting in further effort—a pattern often called “slacktivism.” At the same time, people who feel they have not done enough may look for quick and easy actions that make them feel better, rather than taking more effective steps that require time and effort. This is problematic because environmental protection requires sustained effortful action over time. We will therefore discuss potentially effective self-regulation strategies that help to overcome these problems.
dc.affiliationCentrum Badań nad Zachowaniami Społecznymi
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorByrka, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorSciara, Simona
dc.contributor.authorDoerflinger, Johannes T.
dc.contributor.authorGollwitzer, Peter M.
dc.date.access2026-08
dc.date.accessioned2026-10-20T08:32:52Z
dc.date.available2026-10-20T08:32:52Z
dc.date.created2026
dc.date.issued2026-08
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>Many people see caring for the environment as part of who they are and what they believe is morally right. Yet even when protecting nature is valued, consistently acting in environmentally friendly ways in everyday life can be difficult. In this paper, we adopt an identity‐goal perspective and discuss why people who set green goals and feel environmentally responsible may choose quick and easy actions that signal concern but have limited real impact. Committing to the identity goal of being a green person might be the best route to success. However, there may also be potential downsides. When people feel they have already done enough to see themselves as environmentally responsible, they may stop putting in further effort—a pattern often called “slacktivism.” At the same time, people who feel they have not done enough may look for quick and easy actions that make them feel better, rather than taking more effective steps that require time and effort. This is problematic because environmental protection requires sustained effortful action over time. We will therefore discuss potentially effective self‐regulation strategies that help to overcome these problems.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2018/30/E/HS6/00465
dc.description.granttitleDążenie do autodefiniujących celów a poddawanie się i uleganie pokusom
dc.description.issue1
dc.description.physical1-11
dc.description.sdgSustainableCitiesAndCommunities
dc.description.sdgResponsibleConsumptionAndProduction
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume1562
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70363
dc.identifier.eissn1749-6632
dc.identifier.issn0077-8923
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2641
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.70363
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOTHER
dc.subject.enenvironmentalism
dc.subject.enmoral identity goals
dc.subject.enonline activism
dc.subject.enself-completion theory
dc.subject.enslacktivism
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleDoes Committing to Green Goals Always Lead to Impactful Action? An Identity‐Goal Perspective
dc.title.journalAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle