First Advisor
Jolina Ruckert
Date of Award
Spring 6-16-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and University Honors
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
nature relatedness, alpinism, subsistence, hunting, connection to nature
Abstract
In light of the current possibility of climate disaster and ecological destruction, a branch of psychology has formed to investigate the human relationship with nature. Scaled surveys have been created to gauge nature relatedness with the hope that this construct might help predict environmental awareness and action towards environmental change. This undergraduate thesis aims to explore the concept of connection to nature through a detailed case study on two participants who are both advanced alpinists (high risk mountain recreationalists) and members of subsistence communities (procuring food directly from the environment). The participants were given scaled surveys of nature relatedness and interviewed about their experiences in both practices. Results demonstrated that both participants showed very high levels of nature relatedness, but it also illuminated ideological biases in the way psychology imagines connection to nature. Using a grounded theory approach, themes of both connection and distraction appeared in both alpinism and subsistence activities, the two of which were primarily separated by themes of work in subsistence and sport in alpinism. Their reports challenged the conventional ideology of what constitutes environmentally responsible behaviour, and how nature relatedness connects to this.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Devon, "A Qualitative Case Study on Nature Relatedness in Advanced Alpinists and Members of Subsistence Communities" (2025). University Honors Theses. Paper 1630.
Included in
Community Psychology Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Social Psychology Commons