Accounting for Individual Differences in Connectedness to Nature: Personality and Gender Differences

Annamaria Di Fabio,Marc Rosen

doi:10.3390/su11061693

Abstract

In the psychology of sustainability and the sustainable development framework, regarding the specific focus on the natural environment, the construct of connectedness to nature is studied in depth for its potential for environmental management. The present research focuses on individual differences, examining the relationships between connectedness to nature and the Big Five personality traits in 459 Italian university students. This work analyzes whether gender differences emerge with respect to connectedness to nature, answering a more exploratory research question, since previous studies have not considered this aspect. The results show that agreeableness and extraversion are positively associated with connectedness to nature in Italian university students. No gender differences emerged with respect to connectedness to nature. Also, the relationship between connectedness to nature and personality traits was mainly found to be gender invariant. Future perspectives for research and intervention are offered in the psychology of sustainability and the sustainable development framework.

Highlights

Sustainability is a broad and multidisciplinary field, covering a wide range of technical and non-technical disciplines [1]
The questionnaire permits the evaluation of five personality traits: Extraversion; Agreeableness; Conscientiousness; Emotional stability; and Openness
In the psychology of sustainability and the sustainable development framework [5,6,7] with a focus on the natural environment, the present research examines the relationships between connectedness to nature and the Big Five personality traits in Italian university students

Summary

Introduction

Sustainability is a broad and multidisciplinary field, covering a wide range of technical and non-technical disciplines [1]. It covers many types of systems, including those dealing with energy, water, resources, and the environment [2]. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development [5,6,7] constitutes a new research area in the field of Sustainability Science [8,9,10] It offers a psychological perspective in studying the processes and improves the trans-disciplinary framework at the basis of Sustainability Science. Opening the black box of psychological processes for enhancing sustainable development provides a promising perspective [7]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion