Reading the basics of attribution theory underlines the necessity of this research. It turns out that:
… as Fritz Heider says: “our perceptions of causality are often distorted by our needs and certain cogintive biases”… (wiki, Forsyth Donelson: Social psychology, 1987, Brooks/Cole publishing)
This reflects another quote, criticizing the phases of the transtheoretical model:
… “the model ‘assumes that individuals typically make coherent and stable plans,’ when in fact they are not” . (wiki, R. West: Time for a change – putting the transtheoretical model to a rest)
Amen.
According to Ajzen & Fishbein (Fishbein, M. and I. Ajzen (1981), “Acceptance, yielding, and impact: Cognitive processes in persuasion,” Cognitive processes in persuasion, R. E. Petty, T. M. Ostrom, and T. C. Brock; Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, pp. 339-359.:
… “different arguments have to be constructed for changing a belief or conclusion, an attitude, and an intention or behavior” …
Exactly why a multidimensional approach stays preferable instead a focus on just one or two. Humans are good in finding or creating arguments. We just need (some help) to learn and recognize which dimensions these arguments apply to. And whether we use the right amount of dimensions.
