Physiological Distancing Affects Climate Change Through Spatial Differences

Authors

Janette Williams

Date of this Version

5-2023

Citation

Environmental Studies Undergraduate Student Thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023

Comments

Copyright 2023, Janette Williams

Abstract

Psychological distancing is best described as the human ability to separate ourselves socially, temporally, and spatial and use it to manipulate our perspectives. It is the belief that in order to perceive or understand the information, you have to be within a spatial range(Harvard Business Review,2015). Psychological distancing has been linked to climate change perspectives based on spatial differences. People who are closely affected by climate change and experience more are going to have more ideas and be proactive. The reduced distance by spatial differences correlated with perceptions of climate change. People who are farther from the coast and experience climate change on a microscale and need to see the overall broad view of the idea will have opposition to the idea of climate change. Psychological distancing is connected to how information is analyzed, assessed, and presented to humans psychologically (Journal of Environmental Psychology,2022). Climate change is being studied through construal level theory to help understand how the public sees climate change and how distance is subjective to the perception.