Long and Short Range Criteria for Housing Choice and Environmental Behavior

Abstract

Psychological and anthropological theories purport that individuals do not maintain conflicting attitudes or values, opting for one position which is consistent with emergent behavior. A longitudinal study of 761 families in the process of choosing housing and then living in it leads to an extremely different conclusion, based on the added dimension of time. Many families choose housing and evince behavior once there on the basis of criteria that stand in sharp contrast to those which they personally consider most important. Yet, such conflict is neither a source of dissatisfaction nor of attitude change. Understanding aspiration‐related sequencing of life events leads not only to a fuller explanation of residential satisfaction but to an additional perspective on how people deal with life goals and choice criteria.