- Oxford Library of Psychology
- The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology
- Dedication
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editor
- Contributors
- Introduction: Environmental and Conservation Psychology
- Foundations of an Ecological Approach to Psychology
- Environmental Perception: Wayfinding and Spatial Cognition
- Environmental Attitudes
- Environmental Values
- Justice and the Allocation of Natural Resources: Current Concepts and Future Directions
- Children and Nature
- Emotions and Environment
- Place Attachment
- Environment and Identity
- Cultural Differences in Environmental Engagement
- Cities
- Residential Places and Neighborhoods: Toward Healthy Life, Social Integration, and Reputable Residence
- Work Environments
- School Environments
- Health Care Environments
- Correctional Environments
- Natural Landscapes
- Extreme and Unusual Environments: Challenges and Responses
- Noise
- Response to Environmental Disasters
- Environmental Injustice, Collaborative Action, and the Inclusionary Shift
- Therapeutic Uses of Nature
- Restorative Environments
- Healthy Physical Activity and Eating: Environmental Supports for Health
- Environmental Epiphanies: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications
- The Natural Environment in Residential Settings: Influences on Human Health and Function
- The Development of Conservation Behaviors in Childhood and Youth
- Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior
- Protecting Natural Resources: Psychological and Contextual Determinants of Freshwater Conservation
- Collaborative Processes in Ecosystem Management
- Learning Our Way Out of Unsustainability: The Role of Environmental Education
- Psychology and Climate Change: Beliefs, Impacts, and Human Contributions
- Conclusions: Directions for the Future
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
Identity is a core psychological construct: a way of describing an individual that locates him or her within a social and political context. It has become an increasingly prominent topic in psychology, and one with clear relevance to environmental attitudes and behaviors. But definitions of identity and of the role of the natural environment in identity remain imprecise, just as attempts to include measures of identity in environmental research have proliferated. This chapter will discuss the psychological construct of identity and describe how it is relevant to the natural environment. I review research that has directly or indirectly addressed environmental identity, and that has shown the importance of identity in predicting behavior. I conclude with a call for further research that is clearly grounded in theory about identity, as well as research on the ways in which societies and environments can facilitate a strong environmental identity.
Keywords: identity, self, environmental attitudes, ideology, behavior, measurement, values
Susan D. Clayton is Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology at the College of Wooster in Ohio. With a PhD in social psychology from Yale, she is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a past president of the Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology. Her research addresses the social context surrounding people’s relationship with the natural environment.
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- Oxford Library of Psychology
- The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology
- Dedication
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editor
- Contributors
- Introduction: Environmental and Conservation Psychology
- Foundations of an Ecological Approach to Psychology
- Environmental Perception: Wayfinding and Spatial Cognition
- Environmental Attitudes
- Environmental Values
- Justice and the Allocation of Natural Resources: Current Concepts and Future Directions
- Children and Nature
- Emotions and Environment
- Place Attachment
- Environment and Identity
- Cultural Differences in Environmental Engagement
- Cities
- Residential Places and Neighborhoods: Toward Healthy Life, Social Integration, and Reputable Residence
- Work Environments
- School Environments
- Health Care Environments
- Correctional Environments
- Natural Landscapes
- Extreme and Unusual Environments: Challenges and Responses
- Noise
- Response to Environmental Disasters
- Environmental Injustice, Collaborative Action, and the Inclusionary Shift
- Therapeutic Uses of Nature
- Restorative Environments
- Healthy Physical Activity and Eating: Environmental Supports for Health
- Environmental Epiphanies: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications
- The Natural Environment in Residential Settings: Influences on Human Health and Function
- The Development of Conservation Behaviors in Childhood and Youth
- Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior
- Protecting Natural Resources: Psychological and Contextual Determinants of Freshwater Conservation
- Collaborative Processes in Ecosystem Management
- Learning Our Way Out of Unsustainability: The Role of Environmental Education
- Psychology and Climate Change: Beliefs, Impacts, and Human Contributions
- Conclusions: Directions for the Future
- Index
