Does Committing to Green Goals Always Lead to Impactful Action? An Identity-Goal Perspective

Many people see caring for the environment as part of who they are and what they believe is morally right. Yet even when protecting nature is valued, consistently acting in environmentally friendly ways in everyday life can be difficult. In this paper, we adopt an identity-goal perspective and discuss why people who set green goals and feel environmentally responsible may choose quick and easy actions that signal concern but have limited real impact. Committing to the identity goal of being a green person might be the best route to success. However, there may also be potential downsides. When people feel they have already done enough to see themselves as environmentally responsible, they may stop putting in further effort-a pattern often called "slacktivism." At the same time, people who feel they have not done enough may look for quick and easy actions that make them feel better, rather than taking more effective steps that require time and effort. This is problematic because environmental protection requires sustained effortful action over time. We will therefore discuss potentially effective self-regulation strategies that help to overcome these problems.