Mausner, C., 1996, A kaleidoscope model: defining natural environments, in: Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16,
- Author : Mausner, C.
- Year : 1996
- Journal/Series : Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Volume Number (CONSECUTIVE: Counting all Volumes of this Journal ever published) : 16
- Pages : 335-348
- Abstract in English : Research on the relationship between people and nature has rarely incorporated a definition of natural environments. A review of natural environments as defined in the literature is given. Conceptualization of natural environments is far more complex than would be anticipated given the way it has been treated in this literature. Content analysis from fourteen interviews with adults revealed four meta-level themes used to categorize environments: People as separate from nature; assessment of natural elements; human impact on nature and the human place within natural environments. It can be argued that the conceptualization offered in existing literature fails to capture the complex web of interrelationships which forms the definition of nature. This study indicates that natural environments are conceptualized as interactive systems with transactional relationships between the individual elements of each setting and dynamic tension between each element and setting as a whole.
- Comments/Notes : KEYWORDS: nature, natural environment, assessment, definition nature.