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The theory of reasoned action was developed in the context of research on the relation between attitudes and behavior ( Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980 ). Suitable for the prediction of volitional actions, the theory posits that intentions are the immediate antecedents of behavior and that these intentions arc determined by attitudes toward the behavior and by subjective norms. The attitude is the tendency to evaluate performance of the behavior favorably or unfavorably and the subjective norm represents the perceived social pressure to engage in the behavior. The theory of reasoned action has been used successfully to predict behaviors in a wide range of situations, and to develop programs of intervention designed to modify undesirable patterns of behavior. When dealing with activities that are largely under volitional control, intentions are predictive of actual behavior, and they correlate well with attitudes and subjective norms. Among the many behaviors studied are cigarette smoking, family planning, dental care, water conservation, condom use, recycling, charitable behavior, fat consumption, physical exercise, cancer self-examination, outdoor recreation, television viewing, living kidney donation, and seat-belt use. See also: attitudes and behavior . ( 1980 ). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior . Englewood Cliffs , NJ : Prentice Hall . ... log in or subscribe to read full text