The Ethics of Behaviour Change Technologies
Beyond Nudging and Persuasion
Will be published approx. on 11. December 2025
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-78661-326-4 (ISBN)
Description
This book investigates behaviour change technologies (BCTs) from an ethical perspective, examining the broader societal and philosophical implications of these types of technologies. These technologies-ranging from fitness trackers and smart home systems to digital nudging and persuasive AI-are increasingly shaping our choices, habits, and lifestyles. This book moves beyond nudging and persuasion to explore a broader spectrum of ethical concerns, including autonomy, privacy, trust, responsibility, and social justice. Contributors from leading scholars do not merely critique BCTs but also offer constructive ethical frameworks and ethical analysis for their responsible design and implementation.
Reviews / Votes
The ethics of developing and using scientific understanding to influence human behaviour is something every researcher, practitioner and user of behavioural science must have at the forefront of our minds. This excellent book takes readers expertly through discussions on the key issues that arise, including respect for autonomy, privacy, transparency and responsibility. -- -Susan Michie, Director of UCL Centre for Behaviour Change and Co-Director of Behavioural Research UK, and Robert West, Professor Emeritus of Health Psychology, University College London, UK In a time when digital technologies are pervasively and effectively shaping behaviour, we need to not only critically discuss how they impact individual freedom, but also address broader societal and political issues. The Ethics of Behaviour Change spans this range and helps us to navigate issues such as autonomy and privacy but also justice and the interaction with cultural values and norms, thus challenging Western-centric approaches. -- Mark Coeckelbergh, Professor of Philosophy of Media and Technology and former President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, University of Vienna, AustriaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
3 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
571 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78661-326-4 (9781786613264)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Joel Anderson | Lily E. Frank | Andreas Spahn
The Ethics of Behaviour Change Technologies
Beyond Nudging and Persuasion
E-Book
10/2025
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€107.99
Available for download
Joel Anderson | Lily E. Frank | Andreas Spahn
The Ethics of Behaviour Change Technologies
Beyond Nudging and Persuasion
E-Book
10/2025
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€107.99
Available for download
Persons
Joel Anderson is Professor of Moral Psychology and Social Philosophy at the Ethics Institute in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. In his work, he develops a relational and intersubjectivist conception of autonomy, a recognitional account of critical social theory, an "extended" approach to self-regulation and disability studies, and a social ethics of technology. He is currently working on a book on "Autonomy Gaps" and editing a collection about how technology is "Disrupting the Human." He is also a principal investigator in the research consortium Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT.nl).
Lily E. Frank is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Her research encompasses biomedical ethics, biotechnology, moral psychology, and ethics of technology. Currently, she investigates topics such as moral expertise, the moralization of health conditions, and the interplay between technology and moral progress. She also explores reproductive ethics, including issues like abortion and the development of artificial uteruses. Frank serves as a Senior Researcher at the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and is a board member of the TU/e Center for Humans and Technology.
Andreas Spahn is Associate Professor in the Philosophy and Ethics research group at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. He has worked and published on ethics of behaviour change technologies and persuasive technologies, ethics of energy systems, and environmental ethics, as well as on the role of ethics in engineering education. Spahn is a member of the management team and senior researchers in the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology, as well as in the ESDiT research program on Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies.
Lily E. Frank is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Her research encompasses biomedical ethics, biotechnology, moral psychology, and ethics of technology. Currently, she investigates topics such as moral expertise, the moralization of health conditions, and the interplay between technology and moral progress. She also explores reproductive ethics, including issues like abortion and the development of artificial uteruses. Frank serves as a Senior Researcher at the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and is a board member of the TU/e Center for Humans and Technology.
Andreas Spahn is Associate Professor in the Philosophy and Ethics research group at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. He has worked and published on ethics of behaviour change technologies and persuasive technologies, ethics of energy systems, and environmental ethics, as well as on the role of ethics in engineering education. Spahn is a member of the management team and senior researchers in the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology, as well as in the ESDiT research program on Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies.
Content
Introduction: The Ethical Landscape of Behaviour Change Technology
Joel Anderson (Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Lily E. Frank (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands), Andreas Spahn (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands) and Arianna Sica (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Part I. Foundations
1. Psychology of Behaviour Change
Wokje Abrahamse (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and Nadja Contzen (The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland)
Chapter 2. Technologies of Behaviour Change
Harri Oinas-Kukkonen (University of Oulu, Finland) and Eunice E.Y.F. Agyei (University of Oulu, Finland)
Chapter 3. Guiding Hands or Invisible Chains? On the Ethics and Philosophy of Behaviour Change Technologies
Andreas Spahn (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands) and Lily E. Frank (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Part II. Values and Principles
Chapter 4. Control, Personal Autonomy, and Behaviour Change Technologies
Sven Nyholm (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany)
Chapter 5. Transparency and Trust in Behaviour Change Technologies
Philip J. Nickel (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Chapter 6. Privacy, Consent, and Behaviour Change Technologies
Titus Stahl (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Chapter 7. Social Justice, Autonomous Agency, and Interpersonal Recognition
Joel Anderson (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
Part III. Cases and Applications
Chapter 8. Limiting Driver Autonomy for Safety and Sustainability
Jilles Smids (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
Chapter 9. 'Good Patients Manage Their Health': A Critical Conceptual Analysis of the Patient as Health Manager Using Smart Technology
Tania Moerenhout (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Katleen Gabriels (Maastricht University, the Netherlands)
Chapter 10. The Ethics of Using Boosts to Change Behaviour
Till Gruene-Yanoff (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
Chapter 11. The Cumulative Impact of Behaviour Change Interventions
Will Tiemeijer (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
Chapter 12. Pandemic Behaviour Change Technology, Autonomy, and Confucian Philosophy: The Case of Jiankangma (China's Digital Health Code)
Tom Xiaowei Wang (Renmin University of China, China) and Pak-Hang Wong (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)
Chapter 13. Behaviour Change, Technology, and the Regulation of the Poor: A Case Study of the 'Water Wars' in South Africa
Brendon R. Barnes (University of Johannesburg, South Africa)
Index
About the Contributors
Joel Anderson (Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Lily E. Frank (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands), Andreas Spahn (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands) and Arianna Sica (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Part I. Foundations
1. Psychology of Behaviour Change
Wokje Abrahamse (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and Nadja Contzen (The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland)
Chapter 2. Technologies of Behaviour Change
Harri Oinas-Kukkonen (University of Oulu, Finland) and Eunice E.Y.F. Agyei (University of Oulu, Finland)
Chapter 3. Guiding Hands or Invisible Chains? On the Ethics and Philosophy of Behaviour Change Technologies
Andreas Spahn (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands) and Lily E. Frank (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Part II. Values and Principles
Chapter 4. Control, Personal Autonomy, and Behaviour Change Technologies
Sven Nyholm (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany)
Chapter 5. Transparency and Trust in Behaviour Change Technologies
Philip J. Nickel (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Chapter 6. Privacy, Consent, and Behaviour Change Technologies
Titus Stahl (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Chapter 7. Social Justice, Autonomous Agency, and Interpersonal Recognition
Joel Anderson (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
Part III. Cases and Applications
Chapter 8. Limiting Driver Autonomy for Safety and Sustainability
Jilles Smids (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
Chapter 9. 'Good Patients Manage Their Health': A Critical Conceptual Analysis of the Patient as Health Manager Using Smart Technology
Tania Moerenhout (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Katleen Gabriels (Maastricht University, the Netherlands)
Chapter 10. The Ethics of Using Boosts to Change Behaviour
Till Gruene-Yanoff (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
Chapter 11. The Cumulative Impact of Behaviour Change Interventions
Will Tiemeijer (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
Chapter 12. Pandemic Behaviour Change Technology, Autonomy, and Confucian Philosophy: The Case of Jiankangma (China's Digital Health Code)
Tom Xiaowei Wang (Renmin University of China, China) and Pak-Hang Wong (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)
Chapter 13. Behaviour Change, Technology, and the Regulation of the Poor: A Case Study of the 'Water Wars' in South Africa
Brendon R. Barnes (University of Johannesburg, South Africa)
Index
About the Contributors