Marais-Potgieter Andrea, Thatcher Andrew
Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Private Bag 3, 2050.
Curr Res Ecol Soc Psychol. 2023;4:100096. doi: 10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100096. Epub 2023 Mar 12.
COVID-19 is a global event that has impacted every individual on earth in some way and can be viewed as a mortality salience trigger. Although there were reports of increased nature exposure across the world, research is needed to understand whether the pandemic event impacted the underlying psychology of the human-nature nexus. Given the likelihood of pandemics and environmental challenges increasing in frequency in the future, there is a need for a deeper understanding of how pandemics impact individuals' relationship with the natural environment in South Africa. To achieve this, the study applied psychological types (grouping individuals based on homogeneity) to explore potential shifts as human nature is neither fixed, nor universal. The study asked: Given the multiple significant impacts of COVID-19 on the African continent, how have perceptions and attitudes towards the natural environment changed within and between types of individuals from 2016 (pre COVID) to 2021 (COVID) in South Africa? In a longitudinal, quantitative study, separate samples 721 in 2016 and 665 in 2021 were obtained. Participants in 2021 were grouped into the same six types using the same criteria, for comparison with the 2016 data. The results showed limited potential for pandemics to act as catalysts for long-term individual change towards increased pro-environmentalism. The study confirmed the main tenets of Terror Management Theory that individuals tend to be driven to uphold worldviews when confronted with mortality. Furthermore, there was a reduced experience of personal control over outcomes that increased reliance on sources of control outside the self as an attempt to buffer against mortality concerns. The study contributes towards Terror Management Theory's application during pandemics, and how that relates to individual environmental attitudes and perceptions.
新冠疫情是一个全球性事件，以某种方式影响了地球上的每一个人，可被视为一个死亡凸显触发因素。尽管有报道称全球范围内与自然接触的机会增多，但仍需要开展研究，以了解这一疫情事件是否影响了人与自然关系的潜在心理。鉴于未来大流行和环境挑战发生频率增加的可能性，有必要更深入地了解大流行如何影响南非个人与自然环境的关系。为实现这一目标，该研究运用了心理类型（根据同质性对个体进行分组）来探索潜在变化，因为人性既不是固定不变的，也不是普遍适用的。该研究提出的问题是：鉴于新冠疫情对非洲大陆产生的多重重大影响，2016年（新冠疫情之前）至2021年（新冠疫情期间），南非不同类型个体内部以及不同类型个体之间对自然环境的认知和态度发生了怎样的变化？在一项纵向定量研究中，分别获取了2016年的721个样本和2021年的665个样本。2021年的参与者按照相同标准被分为同样的六种类型，以便与2016年的数据进行比较。结果表明，疫情作为促使个体长期转向更强环保主义的催化剂的潜力有限。该研究证实了恐惧管理理论的主要原则，即个体在面对死亡时往往会被驱使去维护世界观。此外，对结果的个人控制体验减少，导致对自我之外控制源的依赖增加，以此作为缓冲死亡担忧的一种尝试。该研究为恐惧管理理论在疫情期间的应用以及这与个体环境态度和认知的关系做出了贡献。
