The leverage points framework enhanced by an unconscious perspective

Abstract Many sustainability transformation studies use the leverage points framework (LPF) to point to deep levers such as paradigms and worldviews, but rarely explain how those levers move. We propose an extended unconscious (EU) perspective to address what LPF leaves unspecified, arguing that deep understanding of unconscious dynamics is crucial. In our use, the EU perspective synthesizes diverse recent mind science accounts of the unconscious into an approach tailored to sustainability and connects that approach to LPF. By synthesizing evidence and comparing cases, we show how unconscious processes and emotion shape attention, habits, and institutional change, and we outline practical design principles for working with deep levers in everyday projects. Our main finding is that transformation is not linear; it grows through repeating cycles in which feeling, action, and rules reinforce each other—clarifying why information alone often fails and how small, shared experiences can unlock broader shifts. The contribution is a simple vocabulary and design logic that complement LPF’s structural map and can be tested and adapted across contexts.