Glossary / Lexicon

Theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a theory to explain how intentions predict behaviors.

The Theory of Planned Behavior) is a theoretical model used in social psychology that explains how people's attitudes, beliefs, and intentions influence their behavior. It was developed by Icek Ajzen in 1985 and is an extension of his earlier work on the Theory of Reasoned Action.

The theory suggests that people's behavior is driven by their intentions, which are influenced by their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Attitudes refer to the individual's positive or negative evaluation of a particular behavior. Subjective norms refer to the individual's perception of what others think they should do, and perceived behavioral control refers to the individual's perception of how easy or difficult it is to perform the behavior.

Examples of the Theory of Planned Behavior include:

1. A person who intends to quit smoking might have a positive attitude toward quitting smoking, perceive that their family and friends expect them to quit, and feel confident that they can quit because they have a support system in place.

2. A person who intends to start exercising regularly might have a positive attitude toward exercising, perceive that their doctor and friends think they should exercise, and feel confident that they can start exercising because they have a gym membership and a workout partner.

3. A person who intends to recycle might have a positive attitude toward recycling, perceive that their community values recycling, and feel confident that they can recycle because their city provides curbside recycling pickup and they have a recycling bin at home.