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A. A. Melo et al.
1 Introduction
The issue of sustainability has been increasingly debated by society in general, mainly
because there seems to be a consensus that the climate on the planet is changing and
that therefore something else needs to change as well. However, the results are still not
as noticeable in regard to people’s behavior. Sustainable behavior has costs, and not
always people are willing to pay them, or know how to. According to Juárez-Nájera
et al. (2010, p. 2), sustainable behavior can be understood as:
a set of effective, deliberate, and anticipated actions accepting the responsibility for the
conservation and preservation of physical and cultural resources. These resources include
the integrity of animal and plant species, as much as individual and social well-being, and
safety of present and future human generations.
In this sense, this study aims to raise the theoretical references on the subject of
sustainable behavior of individuals to understand their antecedents. The importance
of this theme resides on the fact that, in addition to people being the driving force
in actions and programs that envisage results favorable to sustainability, questions
about what leads an individual to engage in such initiatives remain obscure. A better understanding of this subject can help in the elaboration of policies and in the
operation of sustainable actions and programs, taking into account the antecedents
of the sustainable behavior which, after all, is expected of individuals. This behavior
in turn will lead to the success of said actions and programs, and to the change of
routine habits, leading the way to more effective and long-lasting outcomes, as in
the case of sustainable consumption.
To this end, this study analyzed 34 scientific articles, using the systematic review
of literature techniques, and went through several stages of selection of articles,
originating from two scientific databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The articles
analysed were published between 2008 and 2017. The analysis is followed by the
presentation of the theoretical references used, the methodological procedures, the
findings, and their final discussion.
2 Theoretical References
The main areas of knowledge so far devoted to studying human behavior in relation to sustainability are economics and psychology. While economics argues that
individuals opt (in a rational way) for cooperating for sustainable ends according to
their own interests (that is, depending on the personal return that such decision might
bring them in the future, which does not necessarily refer to financial returns, but
may be connected to prestige, or social approval to which that individual feels entitled), psychology has been concerned with relating the psychological variables with
A. A. Melo et al.
1 Introduction
The issue of sustainability has been increasingly debated by society in general, mainly
because there seems to be a consensus that the climate on the planet is changing and
that therefore something else needs to change as well. However, the results are still not
as noticeable in regard to people’s behavior. Sustainable behavior has costs, and not
always people are willing to pay them, or know how to. According to Juárez-Nájera
et al. (2010, p. 2), sustainable behavior can be understood as:
a set of effective, deliberate, and anticipated actions accepting the responsibility for the
conservation and preservation of physical and cultural resources. These resources include
the integrity of animal and plant species, as much as individual and social well-being, and
safety of present and future human generations.
In this sense, this study aims to raise the theoretical references on the subject of
sustainable behavior of individuals to understand their antecedents. The importance
of this theme resides on the fact that, in addition to people being the driving force
in actions and programs that envisage results favorable to sustainability, questions
about what leads an individual to engage in such initiatives remain obscure. A better understanding of this subject can help in the elaboration of policies and in the
operation of sustainable actions and programs, taking into account the antecedents
of the sustainable behavior which, after all, is expected of individuals. This behavior
in turn will lead to the success of said actions and programs, and to the change of
routine habits, leading the way to more effective and long-lasting outcomes, as in
the case of sustainable consumption.
To this end, this study analyzed 34 scientific articles, using the systematic review
of literature techniques, and went through several stages of selection of articles,
originating from two scientific databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The articles
analysed were published between 2008 and 2017. The analysis is followed by the
presentation of the theoretical references used, the methodological procedures, the
findings, and their final discussion.
2 Theoretical References
The main areas of knowledge so far devoted to studying human behavior in relation to sustainability are economics and psychology. While economics argues that
individuals opt (in a rational way) for cooperating for sustainable ends according to
their own interests (that is, depending on the personal return that such decision might
bring them in the future, which does not necessarily refer to financial returns, but
may be connected to prestige, or social approval to which that individual feels entitled), psychology has been concerned with relating the psychological variables with