Understanding pro-environmental behaviors through the Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) framework

Abstract Disseminating pro-environmental behaviors is a goal of most policies and environmental education programs. While much research has focused on the potential individual factors that elicit pro-environmental behavior (i.e., personal norms, attitudes, responsibility, personality, values, emotions, etc.), the role of external agents (i.e., parents, peers, neighborhood) and policies that contribute to pro-environmental behavior should also be considered. This paper explores the Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) framework within the Bioecological Model of Human Development, offering a conceptual lens for understanding the antecedents of pro-environmental behaviors. We discuss how the PPCT model can be applied to pro-environmental behavior, highlighting the reciprocal interactions among personal characteristics and environmental contexts that shape and are shaped by behavior over time. Drawing from developmental science, we propose that the PPCT framework offers valuable insights into how reciprocal interactions among personal, contextual, and temporal factors synergistically influence the development of pro-environmental behaviors, while also acknowledging the limitations of applying the model.