Abstract
This chapter discusses two areas of research that have examined the symbolic value of environmental behaviour: environmental self‐identity and impression management. These related but distinct research areas demonstrate that environmental behaviour is influenced by the way people see themselves (their identity) and how they would like to be seen by others. One particular identity that has important implications for environmental behaviour and has received significant attention in the environmental psychology literature is environmental self‐identity. Environmental self‐identity is particularly strongly associated with people's values, in particular their biospheric values. Impression management refers to the idea that people tend to try to control the image others form of them in order to create an impression that is in line with how they would like to be seen. People adopt environmental behaviours not only for instrumental, functional reasons but also because of the symbolic meaning of those behaviours.