This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Dr. Allen R. McConnell is University Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Miami University. His research examines several topics including how self-nature representations influence pro-environmental action. He teaches classes on conservation psychology, positive psychology and well-being, and judgment and decision making, and he has taught graduate courses in conservation in India, Belize, and Hawai’i in Miami’s Earth Expeditions Program. He has been Editor in Chief of Social Psychological and Personality Science, Associate Editor of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and President of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.
It can be difficult for people to perform the behaviors necessary to address sustainability challenges because selfish actions are often more appealing than choices that benefit nature and future generations. Although many useful approaches to pro-environmentalism focus on strengthening relatively simple bivariate relations (e.g., nature connectedness and community-based conservation), we propose that more effective outcomes can be realized by combining three mutually reinforcing elements that support sustainability. Specifically, we outline our Triadic Framework, which focuses on the integration of nature, communities, and belief systems with each other and within people’s self-concepts. In addition to emphasizing the shared overlap among these reciprocal elements, this framework stresses that greater integration of one’s sense of self with these elements will heighten personal motivations to perform sustainable actions. Our paper examines (1) the interconnections among nature, communities, and belief systems and (2) how these three elements can be interrelated and enmeshed in people’s self-concepts to produce greater commitment to conservation. Finally, we describe a real-world example of the Triadic Framework used effectively to promote conservation of mature forests in the Western Ghats of India, and we outline ways for others to leverage this framework to address everyday sustainability challenges.
Jill Korach; Allen McConnell. The Triadic Framework: Integrating Nature, Communities, and Belief Systems into the Self-Concept for Sustained Conservation Action. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8348 .
AMA StyleJill Korach, Allen McConnell. The Triadic Framework: Integrating Nature, Communities, and Belief Systems into the Self-Concept for Sustained Conservation Action. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8348.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJill Korach; Allen McConnell. 2021. "The Triadic Framework: Integrating Nature, Communities, and Belief Systems into the Self-Concept for Sustained Conservation Action." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8348.
In three studies, we investigated the consequences of self-nature representations for pro-environmental action, focusing on the role of viewing nature as relatively larger than the self (i.e., nature-self size; NSS). Drawing on theories from the self, prosocial behavior, and emotions literatures, we anticipated that NSS would make unique contributions above and beyond inclusion of nature in self (INS) in predicting behaviors, beliefs, and emotions associated with conservation outcomes. In Study 1, greater INS and greater NSS uniquely predicted greater biospheric concern, performing more conservation behaviors, and holding more pro-environmental beliefs. However, only seeing nature as relatively larger than the self (NSS) uniquely predicted greater self-transcendence, stronger beliefs in anthropogenic climate change, and holding more liberal ideologies. Study 2 manipulated NSS without altering INS, consistent with a distinction between these two self-nature representations, and it found that increasing NSS inspired stronger prosocial emotions. Finally, Study 3 explored whether these size effects might be driven by views of nature size, self size, or their relative differences, and nature size provided the best account. In addition to suggesting a unique role for nature-self size and discussing how particular facets of nature-self size might matter in different contexts, the current work builds conceptual bridges with several psychological literatures and suggests new avenues for pro-environmental interventions.
Allen R. McConnell; Tyler P. Jacobs. Self-nature representations: On the unique consequences of nature-self size on pro-environmental action. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2020, 71, 101471 .
AMA StyleAllen R. McConnell, Tyler P. Jacobs. Self-nature representations: On the unique consequences of nature-self size on pro-environmental action. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2020; 71 ():101471.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAllen R. McConnell; Tyler P. Jacobs. 2020. "Self-nature representations: On the unique consequences of nature-self size on pro-environmental action." Journal of Environmental Psychology 71, no. : 101471.
The current work investigated how viewing one’s pet as a family member improves wellbeing. We hypothesized that including pets in a key social ingroup (i.e., family) would increase ascriptions of socially supportive traits to these animals, enhancing their perceived ability to provide social support to owners, which in turn promotes owner wellbeing. Study 1 used a correlational design and showed positive relations between viewing one’s companion animal as a family member, greater perceptions of socially supportive traits, and better wellbeing as indexed by several measures of mental and physical health. Study 2 experimentally manipulated the extent to which participants viewed their pets as family members and found that inducing people to view companion animals as family members improved wellbeing. This study also provided evidence for the mediating role of socially supportive anthropomorphism, and it ruled out a mood-based alternative account. Pets can play an important role in providing social support that can improve people’s mental and physical health, and the processes underlying how animals can be included in people’s most important ingroup shed light on the psychology underlying how group memberships affect perceptions of humanity.
Allen R. McConnell; E. Paige Lloyd; Brandon T. Humphrey. We Are Family: Viewing Pets as Family Members Improves Wellbeing. Anthrozoös 2019, 32, 459 -470.
AMA StyleAllen R. McConnell, E. Paige Lloyd, Brandon T. Humphrey. We Are Family: Viewing Pets as Family Members Improves Wellbeing. Anthrozoös. 2019; 32 (4):459-470.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAllen R. McConnell; E. Paige Lloyd; Brandon T. Humphrey. 2019. "We Are Family: Viewing Pets as Family Members Improves Wellbeing." Anthrozoös 32, no. 4: 459-470.