Public defence: Evi Petersen

Evi Petersen is defending her thesis for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences.

Link to complete thesis.

You are invited to follow the trial lecture and the public defence.
The event will also be available to attend digitally: Zoom link for digital attendance.

Summary

This article-based thesis explores the role of emotions in human-nature relationships. Through a mix of theoretical and empirical studies conducted in Germany, Norway, and New Zealand, the thesis emphasizes the importance of social relational emotions, such as kama muta (feeling moved) and awe, in fostering nature connectedness. It also highlights how these emotions are linked to well-being and pro-environmental attitudes.

Article I establishes the theoretical framework, proposing that emotions underlying social connectedness also underpin nature connectedness, with social relational emotions being crucial for understanding human-nature relationships.

Article II investigates the emotion of kama muta in nature-based contexts and finds it to be elicited in various natural landscapes when connecting with nature, others, the self, and even human-made artifacts. It applies photo elicitation and utilizes self-reports that go beyond traditional emotion labels.

Article III suggests that emotional experiences during intentional solitude in nature (solo practice) are cross-culturally linked to both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. It further notes that situational aspects and socio-cultural backgrounds influence pathways to well-being and pro-environmental attitudes.

Article IV analyzes pre- and post-data from multiple outdoor trips, showing that solo experiences enhance nature connectedness, with the intensity of awe and kama muta being significant predictors. A strong positive correlation between these two emotions suggests the study of the broader network of social relational emotions as well as the influence of personality factors.

The findings, combining psychology and outdoor studies, are particularly relevant for outdoor-based leisure and educational programs, as well as nature-based therapy, offering new ways to understand and foster emotional engagement with nature to promote well-being and pro-environmental attitudes.