Motivations to Act for the Protection of Nature Biodiversity and the Environment: A Matter of “Significance”

Molinario, Erica; Kruglanski, Arie W.; Bonaiuto, Flavia; Bonnes, Mirilia; Cicero, Lavinia; Fornara, Ferdinando; Scopelliti, Massimiliano; Admiraal, Jeroen; Beringer, Almut; Dedeurwaerdere, Tom; deGroot, Wouter; Hiedanpää, Juha; Knights, Paul; Knippenberg, L.W.J.; Ovdenden, Chris; Horvat, Katarina Polajnar; Popa, Florin; Porras-Gomez, Carmen; Smrekar, Aleš; Soethe, Nathalie; Pol, José Luis Vivero; Born, R.J.G. van den; Bonaiuto, Marino

doi:10.1177/0013916518824376

Cited by 45 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(83 reference statements)

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“…A similar pattern emerged in qualitative interviews with environmental activists, in which the desire for significance was shown to underlie these individuals' commitment to self-sacrificial proenvironmental actions (i.e., protecting nature and biodiversity; Molinario et al, 2018). After answering questions measuring their sense of personal significance and meaning in life, participants indicated their willingness to engage in easy (e.g., recycling) or difficult (e.g., volunteering for wildlife conservation) proenvironmental behaviors.…”

Section: Quest For Significance and Peaceful Extremismmentioning

confidence: 64%

The Making of Violent Extremists

Kruglanski

Jaśko

Webber

et al. 2018

Review of General Psychology

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116

112

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The authors outline a psychological model of extremism and analyze violent extremism as a special case of it. Their significance quest theory identifies 3 general drivers of violent extremism: need, narrative, and network. The theory asserts that the need for personal significance-the desire to matter, to "be someone," and to have meaning in one's life-is the dominant need that underlies violent extremism. A violence-justifying ideological narrative contributes to radicalization by delineating a collective cause that can earn an individual the significance and meaning he or she desires, as well as an appropriate means with which to pursue that cause. Lastly, a network of people who subscribe to that narrative leads individuals to perceive the violence-justifying narrative as cognitively accessible and morally acceptable. The authors describe empirical evidence for the theory, which was tested on a wide variety of samples across different cultures and geopolitical contexts. They go on to offer a general road map to guide efforts to counter and prevent violent extremism in its various forms.

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Section: Quest For Significance and Peaceful Extremismmentioning

confidence: 64%

The Making of Violent Extremists

Kruglanski

Jaśko

Webber

et al. 2018

Review of General Psychology

Self Cite

116

112

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“…A variety of studies have highlighted how volunteers and activists in conservation are not only motivated by the urge to protect nature but also by motivations related to living a meaningful life and strengthening relationships with human and more-than-human others (Admiraal et al 2017;Molinario et al 2019). Through this bonding, volunteers increasingly identify with specific landscapes or green areas, which is in turn an important motivation to become more active in local volunteering activities (Pagès et al 2018;Schild 2018).…”

Section: Relational Values and People's Action For Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

Relational values of nature: leverage points for nature policy in Europe

Mattijssen

Ganzevoort

Born

et al. 2020

Ecosystems and People

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Relational values reflect the qualities of the relationships between humans and nature, such as care, social bonding, place attachment and spiritual meanings. In this perspective article, we argue that understanding relational values is vital for nature conservation, and we identify how incorporation of these values may function as leverage points for achieving more effective nature policy. We discuss the distinctive features of the concept of relational values and elaborate how relational values strongly influence people's perceptions of, engagement with and action for nature. Relational values can also provide important deep leverage points for policy interventions aiming to support citizen's contribution to nature conservation, to strengthen biodiversity policy and the relationship between people and nature. Based on three realms of leverage (re-think, restructure and reconnect), we distinguish six routes through which relational values can be integrated in policies and practices of nature conservation: (1) incorporation of pluralized meanings of nature; (2) the uptake of relational language in policy discourse; (3) a prioritization of landscape-based policy; (4) empowering citizens in nature conservation; (5) reorienting nature education to stimulate people's personal bond with nature; and (6) using digital technology to stimulate new relationships with nature.

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“…For example, according to self‐affirmation theory (Steele, ), engagement in activities that remind people of who they are and enable them to express personally important values leads to increased self‐esteem (e.g., Cohen, Aronson, & Steele, ; Fein & Spencer, ). Recent research showed that acting for important values (e.g., pro‐environmental values) makes people feel more meaningful and fulfilled (Molinario et al., ). Also, in the context of political activism, Skitka, Hanson, and Wisneski () showed that higher levels of moral convictions associated with issues of same‐sex marriage and permission to carry guns on college campuses were related to stronger anticipated feelings of pride.…”

Section: Activism As a Reaction To Negative Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebel with a Cause: Personal Significance from Political Activism Predicts Willingness to Self‐Sacrifice

Jaśko

Szastok

Grzymała-Moszczyńska

et al. 2019

Journal of Social Issues

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Given the social importance of political activism, it is critical to understand what motivates individuals to engage in it. Past research has predominantly focused on individual and collective frustrations as factors that motivate political actions. At the same time, the role of the positive experiences that activists gain from their political engagement was largely neglected. Drawing on quest for significance theory, we proposed that when people engage in political actions on behalf of important social values, they gain a sense of personal significance, and as a result of these positive feelings, they are more willing to self-sacrifice for the cause in the future. We tested that hypothesis in six studies, which included both online and offline samples of political activists engaged in different forms of activism that challenge the neoliberal order: activism for a radical left-wing party (N = 84), a pro-democratic social movement (N = 1,409), feminist activism (N = 158, N = 258), environmental activism (N = 396), and activism for labor and healthcare rights (N = 156). The results we obtained were in line with our hypothesized model. We discuss the implications of our findings for individuals who want to mobilize support for political movements.

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Motivations to Act for the Protection of Nature Biodiversity and the Environment: A Matter of “Significance”

Cited by 45 publications

References 46 publications

The Making of Violent Extremists

The Making of Violent Extremists

Relational values of nature: leverage points for nature policy in Europe

Rebel with a Cause: Personal Significance from Political Activism Predicts Willingness to Self‐Sacrifice

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