Date of Award

2025-05-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Osvaldo Morera

Abstract

Climate change will have catastrophic impacts on humans and the natural environment. However, despite abundant evidence suggesting climate change is happening, climate change mitigation remains a highly polarizing issue in the U.S. Addressing this challenge requires social science research to tailor climate change information to resonate with both liberals and conservatives. Certain concepts, such as nostalgia and prostalgia - a sentimental longing for the past and future - have yet to be explored in the context of pro-environmental behaviors within liberal and conservative samples. Specifically, the longing or sentimental attachment to a past or future natural environment (i.e., ecological nostalgia and prostalgia) has yet to be studied. Thus, the proposed research investigates the significance of ecological nostalgia and prostalgia with eco-friendly intentions through two studies. Study 1 (N = 203) examined the relationship between nostalgia, prostalgia, and eco-friendly behaviors by examining measures association among these variables. Study 2 (N = 148) experimentally investigated the extent to which eco-nostalgia and eco-prostalgia message frames influence environmentally friendly intentions across a more politically conservative sample utilizing infographics. In Study 1, prostalgia and response self-efficacy were associated with multiple eco-friendly behavior indices. Study 2 showed no significant differences between the types of infographics received. Vignette clarity, feeling prostalgic, and response self-efficacy were positively associated with eco-friendly behavior measures. Findings from studies 1 and 2 suggest that response self-efficacy and ecological prostalgia might play an important role in environmentally friendly intentions in more conservative individuals. Future studies should examine the role of response self-efficacy and ecological prostalgia message framing.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

122 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Perla Celeste Perez

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