Two approaches

As we mentioned in Section 2, we follow the assumption that behaviour is a product of the individual and his or her context. Broadly speaking we see two identifiably different kinds of approaches to understanding consumer behaviour.
One set of approaches studies and models behaviour mainly as a function of processes and characteristics which are conceived as being internal to the individual: attitudes, values, habits and personal norms.

A second set of approaches studies behaviour as a function of processes and characteristics external to the individual: fiscal and regulatory incentives, institutional constraints and social practices. The first (‘internal') perspective carries an implicit assumption of consumers as atomistic agents autonomous of social structure, while the second (‘external') perspective sees consumers as constrained operators programmed (or at least heavily influenced) by external forces beyond their comprehension or control.

The literature on recycling is typical of this ‘divergence' in perspectives. In particular, the early literature on recycling shows clear evidence of the division. Internal perspectives focus exclusively on attitudes, beliefs and intrinsic motivations as critical determinants of recycling actions. Externalist approaches concentrate solely on the role of external constraints, prompts, and incentives in promoting recycling behaviour.

Not surprisingly, the two perspectives tend to differ widely in their policy prescriptions. On the understanding that public attitudes are the most important determinants of successful pro-environmental behaviour, the internal approach calls mainly for awareness raising, information provision and advertising campaigns to motivate pro-environmental attitudes. By contrast, the externalist approach tends to call for a combination of incentives and changes in the regulatory structure to create the right conditions for pro-environmental behaviour. Recent literature on recycling, for example, tends to adopt both approaches (Perrin and Barton, 2001, Oates and McDonald, 2004). But it does not always do so in a structured way. In particular, this literature often does not explore the relationships between internal factors and external constraints in any depth. In the next section, we briefly examine some integrated models, which attempt to combine both internal and external perspectives.