Holding a Fixed (vs. Growth) Mind-set Undermines Responsibility: How Implicit Theories Influence Consumers' Green Consumption

Although previous research has shown that not all consumers are willing to purchase environmentally friendly products, limited research has identified which consumers are less likely to purchase those products and why. In this research, we partly fill that gap by demonstrating how implicit theories influence consumers’ green consumption. Implicit theories refer to two distinct assumptions about the malleability of personal traits. Whereas entity theorists regard personal traits as fixed and thus believe that individuals, no matter their efforts, cannot improve themselves, incremental theorists view personal traits as flexible and thus believe that individuals can indeed improve themselves. Accordingly, we predict that entity theorists, in believing that they cannot solve environmental problems through their own direct efforts, are less concerned about those problems and perceive minimal personal responsibility for solving them. By contrast, incremental theorists, in believing that they can solve environmental problems by way of effort, are more concerned about those problems and perceive greater personal responsibility for preserving and improving the natural environment. By extension, we predict that entity theorists, conceiving themselves as minimally responsible for reducing environmental problems, participate in green consumption (e.g., intention to purchase green products) less than incremental theorists. To test our hypotheses, we conducted three studies and found that regardless of whether implicit theories were measured or manipulated, entity theorists were less likely than incremental theorists to purchase green products (e.g., recycled or ecofriendly products) due to differences in their perceived responsibility for protecting the natural environment.