Search Results (19)

The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement (DPM, by Stroebe and Schut) is a well-known framework in contemporary grief research and counselling. It depicts how mourners oscillate between various tasks and reactions. There is a need to engage more with the intense feelings of loss (Loss-Oriented tasks), but also with other things in life and other parts of the adjustment process after a loss (Restoration-Oriented tasks). This interdisciplinary article applies the framework to ecological grief and extends it to collective levels. While the DPM has been broadened to family dynamics, many subjects of grief are even more collective and require mourning from whole communities or societies. Religious communities can play an important role in this. This article provides a new application called the DPM-EcoSocial and discusses the various tasks named in it, which are ultimately based on the grief researcher Worden’s work. The particularities of ecological grief are discussed, such as the complications caused by guilt dynamics, climate change denial, attribution differences about climate disasters, and nonfinite losses. Grief and grievance are intimately connected in ecological grief, and (religious) communities have important tasks for remembrance, mourning, and witness. The collective processes can lead to meaning reconstruction, transilience, and adversarial growth. Full article

This study explored the impact of psychological distance, media coverage, and guilt on communication behavior and eco-friendly actions and found that environmental interest was a significant predictor of behavior. The findings indicate that perceptions of the severity of the climate crisis and media coverage facilitated information seeking and interpersonal communication, which in turn led to eco-friendly behavior. Additionally, guilt strongly predicted information seeking and eco-friendly product purchase intention. Information seeking and interpersonal communication positively influenced eco-friendly product purchases and energy conservation. Women and younger individuals favored face-to-face communication and public transport, while older individuals focused on energy conservation and eco-friendly purchases. Perceptions of climate crisis severity and media coverage influenced communication and eco-friendly purchases. Guilt strongly predicted information seeking and purchase intention, which emphasizes the effectiveness of emotion-based messages. The findings highlight the need for targeted strategies across demographics and political orientations to promote pro-environmental behavior. Full article

This study investigates the moderating effects of several contextual factors (i.e., teachers’ growth mindset, perceived school climate, and perceived parental autonomy support) on the relationship between students’ growth mindset and academic achievement. Drawing on Dweck’s growth mindset theory and recent research findings that highlight the context sensitivity of the growth mindset, we hypothesize that supportive environments strengthen the positive impact of students’ growth mindset on academic outcomes. A sample of 358 middle school students (53.8% female; Mage = 13.38 years, SD = 2.20) from public schools in Shanghai City, mainland China, was assessed via three validated instruments: (1) the Growth Mindset Inventory, which is used to measure students’ and teachers’ beliefs about intelligence; (2) the Delaware School Climate Survey for Students, which is used to assess students’ perceptions of the school climate; and (3) the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale, which is used to evaluate students’ perceived parental autonomy support. Academic achievement was measured by district-level final exam scores. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teachers’ growth mindset, perceived school climate support (e.g., teacher–student and student–student relations, fairness of rules, school safety, liking of school), and the perception of positive parental autonomy support (e.g., choice, rationale, acknowledgment) positively moderated the relationship between students’ growth mindset and academic achievement. In contrast, the perception of negative parental autonomy factors (e.g., punishment threats, performance pressure, guilt-inducing criticism) negatively moderated this relationship. These results indicate that the relationship between students’ growth mindset and academic achievement may vary depending on contextual factors, highlighting the importance of considering both positive and negative influences when designing educational strategies. Full article

Climate change is an irreversible crisis that urgently calls for social transformation to protect human livelihood and environmental stability. Establishing awareness, building environmental literacy, and citizens’ mobilization are the steps toward sustainable change in giving a legacy of hope to future generations. This research explores major psychological and social drivers of pro-environmental behavior, considering the influence of HEXACO personality traits, climate anxiety (CCW), and social media engagement (SMI) on sustainable consumption (SC) and climate action intentions (CCI). Our findings revealed th eco-guilt (EGQ) and environmental empathy (EE) are immediate drivers for climate action, while long-term nurturance of eco-grief (ECOG) leads to engagement, supporting the notion that different emotions uniquely contribute to pro-environmental intentions. In terms of personality predictors, HEXACO’s traits of emotionality (E), honesty-humility (HH), and openness (O) are revealed to be significant, with emotionality also moderating the relationship between eco-grief and climate change action. The results reveal that connectedness to nature (CTN) and moderate levels of climate anxiety synergistically promote sustainable consumption intentions, while demographic factors such as gender, education levels, and exposure to social media moderate these intentions. Females also show a higher level of climate action intention in response to eco-guilt and eco-grief, while individuals with higher levels of education are more responsive to climate-related social media content, increasing their sustainable consumption behaviors. In exploring such interactions, this study aims to add to the understanding of what drives people toward valued environmental behaviors and, in turn, to inform effective climate advocacy, education, and personality-driven strategies to promote environmental engagement. Full article

The desert climate region attracts a multitude of tourists due to its distinctive landforms and climatic conditions, however, it also presents challenges for environmental protection. This article constructs a theoretical model that examines the influence of thermal stress on tourists’ environmental responsibility behavior intention (ERBI), with anticipated pride and anticipated guilt serving as mediating factors. An empirical study is conducted in Turpan, Xinjiang, which represents a typical inland arid area in China. The results indicate that: (1) thermal stress does not have a significant direct impact on ERBI, nevertheless, anticipated pride and anticipated guilt play crucial mediating roles between thermal stress and this intention. (2) Furthermore, environmental knowledge positively moderates the relationship between anticipated pride, anticipated guilt, and the ERBI. This research contributes to the understanding of how tourists’ anticipatory emotions affect their ERBI in desert climate regions while deepening our comprehension of the driving mechanisms behind such intentions among tourists. Moreover, it provides theoretical references for promoting environmentally responsible behaviors among tourists visiting desert climate regions. Full article

Guilt is a widely used emotional appeal in environmental sustainability and other advocacy messages. However, unintended negative effects such as psychological reactance, where individuals resist or reject the message, have been identified, and scholars have recently suggested strategies to mitigate those effects. Using an experimental design, the study examined the role of self-efficacy cues (lower vs. higher magnitude behavioral recommendations) in the message recommendation component of guilt appeals that are designed to elicit more guilt than shame. Adult-aged participants (N = 341) were exposed to messages that described the negative effects of climate change on wild animals. Results from a serial mediation test indicated that viewing guilt messages with lower (vs. higher) magnitude behavioral recommendation was associated with greater self-efficacy beliefs and less perceived threat to freedom, which predicted more anticipated guilt and, finally, greater intention to take pro-environmental actions. These findings contribute to the theoretical development and practical applications regarding how self-efficacy-enhancing content in guilt appeals can reduce defensive responses and foster a stronger commitment to sustainable practices. Full article

Climate change evokes many kinds of emotions, which have an impact on people’s behavior. This article focuses on three major climate emotions—guilt, grief, and anger—and other closely related emotional phenomena, such as climate anxiety/distress. The article explores ways in which these emotions could be engaged with constructively in religious communities, with a certain emphasis on Christian, monotheistic, and Buddhist communities. These religious communities have certain special resources for engaging with guilt and grief, but they often have profound difficulty working with constructive anger. The ways in which these emotions can affect each other are probed, and the complex dynamics of climate guilt are given special attention. Based on the work of psychologists Tara Brach and Miriam Greenspan, a four-step method of engaging with these emotions is proposed and discussed: self-reflection, exploration of various forms of these emotions, contextualization, and creative application of various methods to channel the energies in these emotions. The article draws from interdisciplinary research on eco-emotions, religion and ecology studies, and psychology. Full article

Given the urgent climate change and food security challenges, upcycled food products are crucial for sustainable food production and waste management. This study investigates Taiwanese consumer behavior towards upcycled foods using the value–attitude–behavior (VAB) theory, focusing on “product knowledge”, “green perceived quality”, and “price sensitivity”. Of the 335 distributed surveys, 320 valid responses (95.5% effectiveness) were analyzed. The results indicated that eco-conscious values strongly influenced consumer attitudes and anticipated guilt (β = 0.647, p < 0.001; β = 0.691, p < 0.001), shaping behavioral intentions (β = 0.290, p < 0.001). Attitudes significantly correlated with intentions, validating the VAB framework. However, anticipated guilt showed a minimal impact (β = 0.029, p = 0.629), revealing complex consumer emotions. Green perceived quality and product knowledge were the key decision-making factors (β = 0.193, p < 0.001; β = 0.146, p < 0.001). Surprisingly, price sensitivity positively influences intentions (β = 0.764, p < 0.001), suggesting the consumer prioritization of quality and environmental values over price. These insights inform strategies for businesses to enhance consumer engagement and sustainability alignment, advancing progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Full article

Recent research confirms that climate change is having serious negative effects on children’s and adolescents’ mental health. Being aware of global warming, its dramatic consequences for individual and collective goals, and the urgent need for action to prevent further warming seems to be so overwhelming for young people that it may lead to paralyzing emotions like (future) anxiety, worries, shame, guilt, and reduced well-being overall. Many children and adolescents feel hopeless in view of the challenges posed by the transformations towards a sustainable future. Feeling powerless widens the gap between knowledge and action which in turn may exacerbate feelings of hopelessness. One of the tasks for parents, educators, and policymakers is therefore to empower young people to act against global warming, both individually and collectively. Psychological resources were identified as precursors of pro-environmental behavior. A theoretical model (and accompanying empirical research) is presented which elaborates on the links between self-efficacy, self-acceptance, mindfulness, capacity for pleasure, construction of meaning, and solidarity on the one hand, and subjective well-being and sustainable behavior on the other hand. This literature review suggests starting points for programs that aim to promote both psychological resources, subjective well-being, and individual and collective pro-environmental behaviors in young people. Full article

Biodiversity and ecosystem conservation in the Amazon play a critical role in climate-change mitigation. However, institutional responses have had conflicted and complex relations with Indigenous peoples. There is a growing need for meaningful engagement with—and recognition of—the centrality of Indigenous peoples’ perceptions and understanding of the changes they are experiencing to inform successful and effective place-based adaptation strategies. To fill this gap, this study focuses on the value-based perspectives and pragmatic decision-making of Shawi Indigenous men in the Peruvian Amazon. We are specifically interested in their perceptions of how their food system is changing, why it is changing, its consequences, and how/whether they are coping with and responding to this change. Our results highlight that Shawi men’s agency and conscious envisioning of their future food system intersect with the effects of government policy. Shawi men perceive that the main driver of their food-system changes, i.e., less forest food, is self-driven population growth, leading to emotions of guilt and shame. During our study, they articulated a conscious belief that future generations must transition from forest-based to agricultural foods, emphasising education as central to this transition. Additionally, results suggest that the Peruvian government is indirectly promoting Shawi population growth through policies linking population size to improved service delivery, particularly education. Despite intentional Shawi moves to transition to agriculture, this results in a loss of men’s cultural identity and has mental-health implications, creating new vulnerabilities due to increasing climatic extremes, such as flooding and higher temperatures. Full article

The paucity of environmental resources and the threatening warning of global climate change have led to increasing research on environmental issues [e.g., pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs)]. Although norm activation theory (NAT) is a well-recognized theory for approaching PEBs, existing works appear insufficient to explain PEB in the context of social networking sites (SNSs) without taking contextual, emotional, and social factors into account. Grounded in the egocentric tactician model (ETM), NAT, along with the notions of guilt and social stressors, this study integrates a new ETM path, a supplemented emotional path, alongside the conventional NAT path to achieve a more complete picture of what are crucial determinants of PEBs in the context of SNSs. Social stressors positively moderate the emotional path. Data collected from 897 Facebook users confirm all of our proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that beyond the traditional NAT path, the new ETM path and the emotional path add values to illustrate PEBs on SNSs, and new constructs of self-influence on SNSs (SIS) and guilt remarkably drive PEBs alongside personal norms. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and guidelines for future research are identified. Full article

In this article, we address the climate crisis as a moral issue and discuss the relevant moral and emotional processes and the role of the media underlying the motivations of individuals to behave in a less carbon-emitting manner. We provide theoretical insights from social psychology and emotion research and empirical data based on an online survey from Germany (N = 979). In the theoretical part, we outline the role of emotions in influencing carbon-related behavior, with a particular focus on self-condemning (e.g., guilt or shame), self-praising (e.g., pride), or other-suffering emotions (e.g., empathy). We further summarize the reasons for the low influence of the media on carbon-related behavior compared to the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical results confirm that participants reported other- suffering and self-condemning emotions in response to news content and rated their likelihood of personal behavior change as high when confronted with news about the climate crisis on a daily basis, as has been widely the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that the media is responsible for regularly reporting on the victims of the climate crisis in order to generalize self-condemning and other-suffering emotions into affective attitudes. Opinion leaders can function as role models for low-carbon behavior. Full article

The entire tourism and hospitality industry has witnessed a considerable increase in the number of ethical difficulties that occur in the workplace. It has been discovered that unethical organizational behavior (UOB) is the most significant category in tourists’ unpleasant experiences, driving them to switch and spread unfavorable word-of-mouth information. This study aims to explore the effects of three contextual factors on UOB (i.e., work intensification, job insecurity, and an unethical company-profit climate) and to investigate its possible employee-related consequences, including the feeling of guilt, emotional exhaustion, and customer-oriented citizenship behavior. A total of 970 employees working in hotels (5-star and 4-star) and travel agencies (Category A) participated, and the obtained data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results asserted that work intensification, job insecurity, and an unethical company-profit climate stimulate unethical organizational behavior, and unethical organizational behavior leads to feelings of guilt, emotional exhaustion, and customer-oriented citizenship behavior. Significant insights into theoretical and practical implications were further discussed. Full article

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and it can affect mental health either directly through the experience of environmental traumas or indirectly through the experience of emotional distress and anxiety about the future. However, it is not clear what possible subtypes of the emerging “psychoterratic” syndromes such as eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, and eco-grief exist, how much distress they may cause, and to what extent they facilitate ecofriendly behavior. Methods: We analyzed semi-structured interviews (N = 17) focusing on the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to climate change by using a combination of inductive and deductive qualitative methods. Results and conclusions: The interviews revealed six eco-anxiety components, eight types of eco-guilt, and two types of eco-grief that help to understand the multifactorial nature of these phenomena. The six categories of coping strategies are in line with traditional coping models, and they are linked in various ways to pro-environmental behavior and the management of negative emotions. The results can help practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of emotions related to climate change and how to cope with them, and researchers to develop comprehensive measurement tools to assess these emotions. Full article

If we are going to be able to fight climate change in an effective way there is a need for a profound sustainability transformation of society. The question is how everyday pro-environmental behavior such as climate-friendly food choices should be looked upon in this context: as something that hides the need for structural change, or as a starting point for a profound transformation? The aim is to discuss how emotions related to conflicts encountered when trying to make everyday climate-friendly food choices in a society that is not always sustainable can be used to promote transformational learning. Interviews were performed with 15 adolescents. Emotions felt in relation to conflicts and how the youth cope were explored. The results show that the youth mainly felt individualized emotions of guilt, helplessness, and irritation and that they coped primarily by distancing themselves from emotions felt, but also sometimes in a problem-focused way and through positive reappraisal. Results are discussed in relation to theories about critical emotional awareness and prefigurative politics. It is argued that by taking account of emotional aspects related to everyday conflicts in a critical manner, issues such as justice could be brought to the surface and transformative learning could be enhanced. Full article