Pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are actions individuals take to benefit the environment (Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). These behaviors are especially important for adolescents, who play a key role in transitioning to sustainable societies (Pereira & Freire, 2021). Among the main determinants of PEBs is Environmental self-identity (E-SI), the extent to which individuals see themselves as environmentally conscious (van der Werff et al., 2013). The relationship between PEB and E-SI has been mostly explored in terms of stable interindividual (between-person) differences, primarily employing cross-sectional designs and focusing on how E-SI influences PEB, while less attention has been paid to how performing PEBs might shape E-SI. Moreover, little is known about the intraindividual (within-person) processes underlying this association, which could shed light on their dynamic, reciprocal effects in daily life (Hamaker et al., 2018). To address these gaps, we used daily diaries, an ecologically valid alternative to cross-sectional methods (McNeish & Hamaker, 2020). The study involved 78 Italian adolescents (Mage = 14.8, SD = 0.74, 29% female) from a broader cross-cultural project. Participants reported their PEB and E-SI daily for 28 days. Using Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (Hamaker et al., 2018), results revealed a significant positive spillover from PEB to E-SI (B = .257, 95% CI [.098, .406]). Adolescents who reported higher-than-usual PEBs on one day also reported higher-than-usual E-SI on subsequent days. Conversely, the reverse effect—E-SI to PEB—was non-significant (B = .052, 95% CI [-.031, .136]). These findings highlight the importance of daily engagement in PEBs in strengthening adolescents’ sense of self as environmentally conscious individuals in everyday life. From a social-cognitive perspective (Bandura, 2001), they could inform interventions to foster a sense of responsibility toward environmental protection in youth through direct experiences, helping individuals perceive these behaviors as aligned with their core identities.
The Reciprocal Relationship Between Daily Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Environmental Self-Identity: A Daily Diary Study on Italian Adolescents as oral presentation / Caldaroni, Silvia; Beolchini, Elisabetta; Barrero Toncel, Virginia Isabel; Valentina Paz Quilodrán, ; Paula Luengo Kanacri, ; Lundie, David; Jónsson, Ólafur; Camps, Diana; Guttesen, Kristian; Di Brango, Noemi; Fu, Yuanhang; Contreras, Camila; Gerbino, Maria. - (2025). (Intervento presentato al convegno European Developmental Psychology Conference tenutosi a Vilnius, Lithuania).
The Reciprocal Relationship Between Daily Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Environmental Self-Identity: A Daily Diary Study on Italian Adolescents as oral presentation
Silvia Caldaroni;Elisabetta Beolchini;Virginia Isabel Barrero Toncel;Noemi Di Brango;Fu Yuanhang;Camila Contreras;Maria Gerbino
2025
Abstract
Pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are actions individuals take to benefit the environment (Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). These behaviors are especially important for adolescents, who play a key role in transitioning to sustainable societies (Pereira & Freire, 2021). Among the main determinants of PEBs is Environmental self-identity (E-SI), the extent to which individuals see themselves as environmentally conscious (van der Werff et al., 2013). The relationship between PEB and E-SI has been mostly explored in terms of stable interindividual (between-person) differences, primarily employing cross-sectional designs and focusing on how E-SI influences PEB, while less attention has been paid to how performing PEBs might shape E-SI. Moreover, little is known about the intraindividual (within-person) processes underlying this association, which could shed light on their dynamic, reciprocal effects in daily life (Hamaker et al., 2018). To address these gaps, we used daily diaries, an ecologically valid alternative to cross-sectional methods (McNeish & Hamaker, 2020). The study involved 78 Italian adolescents (Mage = 14.8, SD = 0.74, 29% female) from a broader cross-cultural project. Participants reported their PEB and E-SI daily for 28 days. Using Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (Hamaker et al., 2018), results revealed a significant positive spillover from PEB to E-SI (B = .257, 95% CI [.098, .406]). Adolescents who reported higher-than-usual PEBs on one day also reported higher-than-usual E-SI on subsequent days. Conversely, the reverse effect—E-SI to PEB—was non-significant (B = .052, 95% CI [-.031, .136]). These findings highlight the importance of daily engagement in PEBs in strengthening adolescents’ sense of self as environmentally conscious individuals in everyday life. From a social-cognitive perspective (Bandura, 2001), they could inform interventions to foster a sense of responsibility toward environmental protection in youth through direct experiences, helping individuals perceive these behaviors as aligned with their core identities.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
