Behavior change

• Published in: Organizational behavior and human decision processes Vol. 161; no. Suppl; pp. 39 - 49
• Main Authors: Duckworth, Angela L., Gross, James J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Behavior change; Goals; Health; Incentives; Motivation; Nudges; Process model; Self-control; Nudges; Self-control; Incentives; Motivation; Health; Behavior change; Process model; Goals; incentives; motivation; self-control; health; process model; nudges; behavior change; goals
• ISSN: 0749-5978; 1095-9920
• DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.002

•Behavior change can be challenging.•Often, status quo behaviors are immediately rewarding, but desired changes are not.•Behavior change strategies can be initiated by either the individual or others (e.g., employer).•The process model is a framework for organizing behavior change strategies. Despite rapid growth in the empirical research on behavior change, modern science has yet to produce a coherent set of recommendations for individuals and organizations eager to align everyday actions with enduringly valued goals. We propose the process model of behavior change as a parsimonious framework for organizing strategies according to where they have their primary impact in the generation of behavioral impulses. To begin, individuals exist in objective situations, only certain features of which attract attention, which in turn lead to subjective appraisals, then finally give rise to response tendencies. Unhealthy habits develop when conflicting impulses are consistently resolved in favor of momentary temptations instead of valued goals. To change behavior for the better, we can strategically modify objective situations, where we pay attention, how we construct appraisals, and how we enact responses. Crucially, behavior change strategies can be initiated either by the individual (i.e., self-control) or by others (e.g., a benevolent employer).