Today we were asked to examine a particular behaviour change
approach; our group was tasked with exploring the Tools for Change website.
In reality we were supposed to look at the site two nights ago, but
things just seemed to get in the way, a problem tools for change appears equipped
to handle! Tools for change is seeking
to elicit behaviours that are “Environmentally Friendly” which they define as: “Those
behaviours, products and services that contribute to sustainable development by
minimizing disruptions.”
How do we motivate people to “minimize disruptions”? According to Tools for change this can be achieved
through social marketing, directing strategies for specific audiences. I don’t disagree with the legitimacy of
social marketing, however the manner in which the psyche is conceptualized as
needing nothing more than the feeling of security in order to overcome barriers
to change appears on the surface to lack complexity. The validity of this conceptualization is
tested through their pilot system, which they employ in advance of
implementation.
At first glance I was skeptical of this website and their
methodology for enacting change, but at least they are applying different
techniques and methods in accordance with their desired audience. Are barriers the only thing standing in the
way of a paradigm shift towards a sustainable existence? Have we been trying to hammer a square peg
into a round hole for the last fifty years and neglected to notice the sawzall
in our tool bag? Unlikely, there is no one method capable of invoking behaviour change, but the conceptualization of the human psche from a social psychological perspective is a relatively strong leverage point, perhaps not to the degree that emotion can affect behaviour, but it does have a role to play.
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