Theory of Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior

Does having a certain attitude actually predict what someone will do? Two influential psychological models try to answer that question precisely.

Must Know

• The Theory of Reasoned Action holds that behaviour is best predicted by a person’s intention, which is shaped by attitude and social norms.
• The theory distinguishes attitude toward a behaviour (personal evaluation) from subjective norms (perceived social pressure) as two separate inputs into intention.
• The Theory of Planned Behavior extended this model, adding “perceived behavioural control,” how much control a person feels they have over the action.
• Perceived behavioural control matters because intention alone doesn’t guarantee action if a person feels unable to actually carry out the behaviour.
• Attitude accessibility refers to how quickly and automatically an attitude comes to mind, affecting how strongly it predicts actual behaviour.

Good to Know

• These models are widely applied in public health campaigns, predicting behaviours like smoking cessation, vaccination uptake, or exercise adoption.
• Attitude in group membership contexts can differ from private individual attitude, since group identity adds an additional social layer to intention formation.
• Critics note these models predict intention well but sometimes struggle to fully explain the gap between stated intention and actual behaviour.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. What did the Theory of Planned Behavior add to the Theory of Reasoned Action?

Perceived behavioural control

A rejection of intention as a factor

A focus purely on genetics

A focus purely on income

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Great to Know

• The addition of perceived behavioural control in the Planned Behavior model reflects a key insight: attitude alone is insufficient without a sense of genuine capability.
• These frameworks are directly useful for civil servants designing behaviour-change policy, from tax compliance to public-health interventions.
• Recognizing the gap between intention and actual behaviour helps explain why policy based purely on attitude surveys can still underperform in practice.