Exploring the dimensions of environmental concern: an integrative proposal

María Amerigo ^[1] ; Juan I. Aragonés ^[2] ; Juan A. García ^[1]
1. [1] Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
  
  Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
  
  Ciudad Real, España
2. [2] Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  
  Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  
  Madrid, España
Localización: PsyEcology: Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology / Revista Bilingüe de Psicología Ambiental, ISSN-e 1989-9386, ISSN 2171-1976, Vol. 3, Nº. 3, 2012, págs. 353-365
Idioma: varios idiomas
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Resumen
- This paper proposes a theoretically integrated structure made up of four dimensions pertaining to environmental concern: apathy, anthropocentrism, connectedness and emotional affinity. These four dimensions are distributed along a gradient that reflects the inclusion of nature in the self. This proposal is empirically supported by a study conducted with 514 university students. The tool created is able to measure the respective dimensions of environmental concern and analyze their relationship with a measurement of pro-environmental behaviour. The main findings indicate that a high level of inclusion of nature in the self is expressed through high scores for connectedness and emotional affinity, whereas the relationships are inverted in the case of anthropocentrism and environmental apathy. A similar pattern is observed in relation to pro-environmental behaviour. Some of the implications are discussed with regard to cognitive/affective differentiation in the dimensions of environmental concern.