In trying to determine the differences between intention and behaviour, Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) came up with the theory of reasoned action, suggesting behaviour results from the individual’s intention to perform that specific behaviour. Most individuals decide their intention towards a behaviour well in advance, and that intention is the most accurate predictor of whether or not the individual will carry out that behaviour.
- The explanation will open with the definition of the Theory of Reasoned Action.
- A diagram of the Theory of Reasoned Action is presented, along with an example of the Theory of Reasoned Action.
- The application of the Theory of Reasoned Action is reviewed.
- We will discuss the strengths and limitations of the Theory of Reasoned Action, followed by a brief discussion on how the Theory of Reasoned Action developed into the more modern Theory of Planned Behaviour.
Fig. 1 - The theory of reasoned action explores intentions behind behaviours
Theory of Reasoned Action Definition
The theory of reasoned action was proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) in an attempt to explain how human behaviour can be foreshadowed and predicted by intention. The theory has two basic assumptions. It assumes that people always behave rationally and that humans always use all the information available to them.
According to the theory of reasoned action, the most important factor that influences whether or not a behaviour will take place is the individual's intention.
- The bigger the intention, the more likely the behaviour will happen.
The intention is composed of two other factors: attitudes towards behaviour and subjective norms.
Attitudes refer to individuals' positive or negative thoughts about their behaviour and two factors influence an individual's attitudes towards their objectives.
- First, individuals assess the consequences associated with performing such behaviours. This would involve the individual asking him/herself; what are the consequences that come with performing such behaviours?
- And second, individuals evaluate the effect of the consequences, which would be assessed with the question; will the consequences of engaging in this behaviour make me feel good or bad?
Subjective norm refers to the social pressure the individual may be experiencing to perform such behaviours by their family and friends. Subjective norm is influenced by normative beliefs and motivation to comply.
- Normative beliefs refer to the ideas that are considered important by an individual's surroundings, such as family and friends. Motivation to comply refers to whether the individual also shares the same ideas or whether these are not relevant to the individual.
When we apply the theory of reasoned action to addiction, we can see how attitudes and subjective norms surrounding alcoholism, for instance, can affect how much a person will attempt to treat their addiction.
If the person believes drinking alcohol is fun, makes them feel relaxed in social settings, and provides them with an active social life, their attitude and intention to quit would be quite low. The consequences of quitting are negative to the individual, even if they are addicted.
If friends and family begin to apply pressure from a social standpoint, highlighting the negative aspects of drinking to the individual and refusing to spend time with them in settings with alcohol, the subjective norm of negative social pressure is present. Eventually, negative social pressure may induce an attitude change.
Intention to quit drinking is initially low, and reducing addictive behaviours will be low as a result.
Theory of Reasoned Action Diagram
This diagram will help you understand the Theory of Reasoned Action and its components better:
Theory of Reasoned Action Example
The theory of reasoned action has been applied and researched in many health-related behaviours such as addictive behaviours (smoking, alcoholism, and gambling), breakfast and fast food consumption.
Hosseini et al. (2015) carried out a study to test whether the Theory of Reasoned Action would increase individuals' likelihood of consuming breakfast. The study included an intervention in which participants received an informational programme on breakfast consumption promotion.
Participants filled in a questionnaire about their attitudes towards breakfast consumption before and after the intervention. Results indicated that subjective norms were a strong predictor of behaviour. Participants were more likely to consume breakfast if they believed that those around them were consuming breakfast and that these people around them would want him/her to consume breakfast1.
Theory of Reasoned Action Application
This theory has been used in a wide range of fields ranging from health behaviour, communication and consumer behaviour.
The theory of reasoned action states that the above-mentioned factors (attitude and subjective norms) work together to produce intention, which ultimately leads to behaviour.
Looking into exercise, an individual’s beliefs can generate the attitude that exercising is healthy, which is likely to create an intention for the individual to perform said behaviour.
On the other hand, if the same individual had negative beliefs about exercise such as, "exercise is inconvenient and I will probably injure myself", "I don’t have time to exercise", and "most of the people I know also don’t exercise" then the intention will not be created, and therefore, the behaviour will not be performed.
While the basis of this theory is that intention precedes behaviour, other factors may intervene before the intention is realised.
The first is the time gap between the expression of intention towards the behaviour and the actual behaviour; the bigger this gap is, the less likely it is for the intention to be expressed, as other influences and distractions can cause a change in attitudes and priorities.
An individual may intend to exercise after work but might have a conversation with colleagues and end up going to the pub instead.
Specificity refers to how specific one’s intention is. If an individual has a general attitude that they should exercise, it is more likely this won’t translate into behaviour. Whereas, if the attitude is specific, i.e., signing up for a gym class at a specific time, it is likely to be a good basis for predicting the behaviour.
When it comes to addiction, according to the theory of reasoned action, attitudes are affected by beliefs.
For example, a young person may think they will seem cooler if they smoke. The person may interpret the subjective norm that their friends also think people who smoke are cooler.
If a person believes their friends think smoking is cool, and they also think smoking is cool, the outcome of smoking is more likely to occur as a consequence. The intention to smoke will rise, and so will the chances of engaging in such behaviour.
Evaluation of the Theory of Reasoned Action
The theory of reasoned action has been widely used in psychology. As with other theories, the theory of reasoned action presents both strengths and limitations. Here we will review both of them.
- The theory has been positively criticised for being a predictor of most human behaviour. The theory has been applied to a wide variety of fields such as exercise behaviour, and addictive behaviour. Despite this, the theory has received criticism.
- Sheppard, Hartwick and Warshaw (1988) performed a meta-analysis in which they found that the TRA could accurately explain how humans make choices among options. On the other hand, the theory lacked the ability to explain how emotion affects human action. Further, other common behaviours such as habits were not explained by the theory.
- The theory of reasoned action has allowed many researchers to conduct research on it. It has been subject to assessment in numerous studies, and one of the main results found is that it can be applied across cultures.
- Park (2009) was one of the researchers that evaluated the TRA. The results of his study suggested that social norms and social attitudes scores differ across cultures, depending on whether these are collectivist or individualistic.
Theory of Planned Behaviour Definition
The Theory of Planned Behaviour was developed in an attempt to improve the already existing Theory of Reasoned Action. Ajzen (1985) adapted the theory to include perceived behavioural control, which then became the theory of planned behaviour.
The adapted theory states that achieving a specific behaviour is not only dependent on one’s intention towards it, but also on whether a person believes they can do the behaviour.
Perceived behavioural control refers to the extent to which we believe we can perform the behaviour. It is dependent on two main factors, (a) internal factors (one’s ability and determination towards the specific behaviour)
and (b) external factors (the resources and support available to that individual).
This added component can further impact our behaviour in two ways:
- If we believe we have greater control over our behaviour, we will form a stronger intention to engage in it.
- If we believe we have greater control over our behaviour, then we will work longer and harder to succeed.
Perceived behavioural control thus can not only feed intention for a specific behaviour and impact it directly.
Theory of Reasoned Action - Key takeaways
- The theory of reasoned action suggests that behaviour results from the individual’s intention to perform that specific behaviour.
- Two factors determine intention: attitude (the judgement of whether or not a behaviour is a good thing to do) and subjective norms (the individual’s beliefs about whether their social circle wants them to engage in the behaviour).
- A criticism of the theory of reasoned action was that it did not consider volitional control (whether or not the individual has control over the behaviour), and a component of ‘perceived behavioural control’ was added.
- The theory of planned behaviour states that achieving a specific behaviour depends not only on one’s intention towards it but also on one’s ability to undertake it.
- Perceived behavioural control within this theory is again dependent on internal factors (one’s ability and determination towards the specific behaviour) and external factors (the resources and support available to that individual).
References
- Hosseini, Z., Gharghani, Z. G., Mansoori, A., Aghamolaei, T., & Nasrabadi, M. M. (2015). Application of the theory of reasoned action to promoting breakfast consumption. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4764274/
- Sheppard, B., Hartwick, J. and Warshaw, P., 1988. The Theory of Reasoned Action: A Meta-Analysis of Past Research with Recommendations for Modifications and Future Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(3), p.325.
- Sheppard, B. H., Hartwick, J., & Warshaw, P. R. (1988). The Theory of Reasoned Action: A Meta-Analysis of Past Research with Recommendations for Modifications and Future Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(3), 325. https://doi.org/10.1086/209170
- Park, H. S. (2000). Relationships among attitudes and subjective norms: Testing the theory of reasoned action across cultures. Communication Studies, 51(2), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510970009388516
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