A Critical Engagement with Social Psychological Contributions to Modifying Behaviors that Affect the Health of People and the Planet

Abstract

Two of today's most pressing problems are how to improve the health of individuals and of the planet. On the one hand, despite advances in health care, individuals continue to face serious health issues. Similarly, global warming caused by climate change has been recognized as "too serious for the world any longer to ignore its danger" (Tony Blair, 2005). These two problems are linked because their solutions, in part, require individuals to change their behavior. Thus, those concerned with improving individuals' or the planet's health must look to the psychology of behavior change for solutions (e.g., Michie, van Stralen, & West, 2011; Whitmarsh, 2009), along with insights from other discipl..