The challenges of changing dysfunctional behaviors at work have puzzled organizational scientists and practitioners for several decades. Previous research on curbing dysfunctional behaviors in work domains rests on self-regulation models in which goals and conscious processes play a dominant role in driving behavioral change. I argue that self-regulation theory does not fully explain behavioral change because it does not fully take into account automatic processes that can hamper change. The approach here builds on a foundational tenet in dual modes theory (Smith & DeCoster, 2000)—that two systems drive behavior: (1) The controlled system and (2) the automatic system. The current study develops and examines an alternative explanation and model based on dual process theory for understanding behavioral change in the social media context. This study helps to reveal hidden factors (e.g., habits) that can shed light on the challenges of changing behavior. Using a field sample of participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, the data showed that at the between-person level, individuals with strong habits regarding social media spent more time on social media, as predicted. At the within-person level, intention strength for reducing time on social media negatively impacted time on social media, as expected. Finally, the results did not support the expected two-way interactions among state self-control, intentions, strength, and habits strength. I discuss these findings in terms of the theoretical implications for advancing understanding of behavioral change and practical implications for curbing dysfunctional behaviors at work.
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