Testing a Model of Durkheim’s Theory of Emotional Solidarity among Residents of a Tourism Community

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the theoretical framework of emotional solidarity in seeking to better explain the dynamic, complex relationships existing between residents and tourists. Measurement and structural models pertaining to the framework were simultaneously estimated, both of which were deemed to have good model fit based on incremental and absolute model fit indices. Three antecedent constructs (i.e., shared beliefs, shared behavior, and interaction) were all found to be significant predictors of emotional solidarity, explaining approximately 33% of the variance in the construct. This work provides support for Durkheim’s theoretical framework and provides a gateway into future studies surrounding emotional solidarity.

Exploring the Intersections of Emotional Solidarity and Ethic of Care: An Analysis of Their Synergistic Contributions to Sustainable Community Tourism Development

“…The study supports past findings that shared beliefs, shared behaviors, and interactions between residents and tourists promote mutual understanding, respect, and welcoming attitudes among residents and tourists [10,16,17]. Further, the study also supports the earlier study outcomes that for a destination to be ethical and filled with ethic of care to its people and places, local tourism stakeholders, and incoming tourists are required to create an endearing environment that ensures justice, fairness, equality, respect to diversity, and concern for others [5,8,[34][35][36].…”

“…Others have defined such interactions by financial exchanges applying theories, such as social exchange theory [14,15]. However, in recent years, research works undertaken by Woosnam and colleagues [10,16,17] have established that tourist-host interactions can be analyzed beyond relations of reciprocity and financial transactions.…”

The Effect of Residents’ Attitude toward Tourism on their Pro-Tourism Behaviour: A Case Study of Hua-Hin Prachubkirikhan

“…The result that welcome tourists behaviour affected attitude toward tourism and pro-tourism behaviour supported the findings of the studies by Woosnam (2011) and Woosnam and Aleshinloye (2013). Similarly, in keeping with the findings of Stylidis and Terzidou (2014), Gursoy, Chi, and Dyer (2010), and Dyer, Gursoy, Sharma, and Carter (2007), the present study revealed that perceived local economy affected both attitude toward tourism and pro-tourism behaviour.…”

“…The scale consists of three factors; sympathetic understanding, welcoming visitors, and emotional closeness. However, many researches such as Woosnam (2011), and Woosnam and Aleshinloye (2013) used only welcoming visitors as a factor to measure emotional solidarity scale.…”

Tourists’ Destination Loyalty through Emotional Solidarity with Residents: An Integrative Moderated Mediation Model

“…In addition to the ESS being utilized in work to support Durkheim's initial framework, where the construct was significantly predicted from residents' interaction, shared beliefs, and shared behavior with tourists (Woosnam 2011a;Woosnam 2011b), the construct (and its corresponding dimensions) has been considered an outcome of length of residence (Woosnam et al 2014). Woosnam and Aleshinloye (2013), in building on the work of Woosnam (2012), tested Durkheim's model from a tourists' perspective, showed how interaction, shared beliefs, and shared behavior each significantly predicted levels of emotional solidarity.…”