Identification of Six Emergent Types Based on Cognitive and Affective Constructs that Explain Individuals’ Relationship with the Biosphere

Abstract

To address the pathological human–nature nexus, psychological processes that impact this relationship need to be further understood. Individual differences related to personality, values, worldviews, affect, and beliefs are likely to influence how people relate to the natural world. However, there is a lack of empirically-based ecopsychological research exploring multiple individual attributes. Understanding individual differences enables the strategic design of planetary-focused interventions, such as advocacy, policy, and technology development. Using a theoretical model that incorporates intrinsic, affective, cognitive, and behavioral constructs, this study sought to identify and describe different types of people and their relationship with the biosphere. Seven hundred and fifty-three people completed an online quantitative questionnaire battery. Results from the cluster analyses of the cognitive and affective constructs showed that six heterogeneous types existed. Their different descriptive expressions of intrinsic, affective, cognitive, and behavioral constructs provide a deeper understanding of each type’s relationship with the biosphere.

Using the Multidimensional AIMES to Estimate Connection-to-Nature in an Australian Population: A Latent Class Approach to Segmentation

“…A number of models have focused on major environmental topics such as climate change [25][26][27][28][29][30], sustainability [31], consumption [32][33][34], and conservation [35]. Some other models had a more distinct focus on the human-nature relationship [10,36,37] and environmental worldviews [9] but lack the depth of knowledge that comes when working with a multidimensional approach.…”

Speaking of nature: Relationships between how people think about, connect with, and act to protect nature

“…Thus, while the present study presents a preliminary exploration of concepts of nature across a sample of English-speakers in Australia, future research is needed to explore how concepts of nature may relate to CN and nature-based PBB across different ethnic, cultural, and language groups. In addition, researchers have identified different types of human-nature relationships, each with different patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in relation to nature (e.g., Flint et al 2013, MacDonald et al 2019, Marais-Potgieter and Thatcher 2020. Further research is also needed to determine how typologies of human-nature relationships could be applied to understanding concepts of nature.…”

Relações humano-natureza na comunidade pesqueira de Siribinha, Conde-BA: uma investigação por meio do desenvolvimento e da aplicação de uma nova ferramenta

“…Research on typologies of human-nature relationships is based on two main approaches (Flint et al 2013). One is quantitative and deductive, proposing conceptual typologies and comparing them with empirical data obtained through psychometric scales that rank people on just one or a few dimensions of the many characterizing multifaceted human-nature relationships (e.g, Hunka et al 2009;Marais-Potgieter & Thatcher 2020). Most of these quantitative and deductive studies have been developed and applied in Western, modern, urban contexts.…”