Dissertation examines the determinants influencing the purchase of organic products through the lens of social cognitive theory. Its primary objective is to identify the psychological and behavioral mechanisms driving sustainable consumption and to clarify the intention-behavior gap in ecological purchasing. While prior studies have focused on attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intentions, this research presents a comprehensive model incorporating sources of perceived sustainability self-efficacy, sustainability self-efficacy, maintenance sustainability self-efficacy, expected outcomes of ecological behavior, and self-regulatory goal setting as key determinants of sustainable purchasing behavior.
Empirical analysis using structural equation modeling yielded several notable findings. First, self-regulatory goal setting is crucial for translating purchase intentions into actual behavior. Second, perceived sustainability self-efficacy, especially maintenance self-efficacy, significantly influences the persistence of sustainable purchasing habits. Third, expected outcomes of sustainable behavior indirectly affect the purchase of organic products. The study also identified multicollinearity issues, reflecting the strong interconnection among social cognitive theory constructs and highlighting the need for further refinement of measurement instruments. Dissertation makes important theoretical contributions by applying social cognitive theory to sustainable purchasing behavior, treating self-regulation as a mediator between purchase intention and behavior. Findings challenge the dominance of intention-based models, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior, by showing that purchase intention alone is insufficient to predict sustainable behavior without self-regulatory mechanisms. Accordingly, the study proposes a multidimensional approach that simultaneously considers personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. Practical implications are substantial for sustainability policies, businesses, and marketing strategies. Promoting self-regulatory processes can help consumers form and maintain sustainable purchasing habits. Organizations can use these insights to develop digital tools for tracking sustainability goals, behavioral incentives, and personalized marketing. Educational campaigns should emphasize the tangible and long-term benefits of organic purchasing, as reinforcing expected outcomes increases behavioral adoption.
By introducing an advanced social cognitive theory-based model, this dissertation provides comprehensive insight into the decision-making process underlying ecological purchases, bridges existing research gaps, and offers practical guidance for designing effective interventions to encourage purchase of everyday organic products
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