Managing Health Improvement Through Social Marketing
(AC7027)
Theories of Behaviour
Change
Dr Richard Lee
, Objectives
• To explore what is meant by behaviour change in
relation to health
• To consider different conceptual approaches to
understanding behaviour change
• To consider the implications for behaviour change in
different areas of health
, Pandemic fatigue? How adherence to covid-19
regulations has been misrepresented and why it
matters (Reicher and Dury, 2021)
• “The notion of behavioural fatigue associated with
adherence to covid restrictions (so-called “pandemic
fatigue”) has been a recurrent theme throughout the crisis.”
• “…the idea that when particular individuals break the rules, it
is due to their particular psychological failings. They are
either too weak, too stupid, or too immoral to do the right
thing. Hence, terms like “covidiots” have become almost as
familiar as “pandemic fatigue.” This feeds into a widespread
narrative of blame whereby the spread of infections is
explained in terms of individuals and groups who choose to
break the rules, rather than failures of public health
response.”
, Pandemic fatigue? How adherence to covid-19
regulations has been misrepresented and why it
matters (Reicher and Dury, 2021)
• “adherence to stringent behavioural regulations has remained
extremely high (over 90%), even though many people are
suffering considerably, both financially and psychologically.”
• “The way in which issues of adherence have been portrayed
and understood during this pandemic have been spectacularly
wrong…They should highlight the remarkable and enduring
resilience of the great majority of the population – including
those who have been most subject to blame such as students
and young people in general – even in the absence of
adequate support and guidance from government. Indeed, in
many ways the narratives of blame serve to project the real
frailties of government policy onto the imagined frailties of
public psychology.”
(AC7027)
Theories of Behaviour
Change
Dr Richard Lee
, Objectives
• To explore what is meant by behaviour change in
relation to health
• To consider different conceptual approaches to
understanding behaviour change
• To consider the implications for behaviour change in
different areas of health
, Pandemic fatigue? How adherence to covid-19
regulations has been misrepresented and why it
matters (Reicher and Dury, 2021)
• “The notion of behavioural fatigue associated with
adherence to covid restrictions (so-called “pandemic
fatigue”) has been a recurrent theme throughout the crisis.”
• “…the idea that when particular individuals break the rules, it
is due to their particular psychological failings. They are
either too weak, too stupid, or too immoral to do the right
thing. Hence, terms like “covidiots” have become almost as
familiar as “pandemic fatigue.” This feeds into a widespread
narrative of blame whereby the spread of infections is
explained in terms of individuals and groups who choose to
break the rules, rather than failures of public health
response.”
, Pandemic fatigue? How adherence to covid-19
regulations has been misrepresented and why it
matters (Reicher and Dury, 2021)
• “adherence to stringent behavioural regulations has remained
extremely high (over 90%), even though many people are
suffering considerably, both financially and psychologically.”
• “The way in which issues of adherence have been portrayed
and understood during this pandemic have been spectacularly
wrong…They should highlight the remarkable and enduring
resilience of the great majority of the population – including
those who have been most subject to blame such as students
and young people in general – even in the absence of
adequate support and guidance from government. Indeed, in
many ways the narratives of blame serve to project the real
frailties of government policy onto the imagined frailties of
public psychology.”
