Relationship with the Natural World
Describe two different experiences from your reflective journal, and the main psychological theories and concepts from Block 3 that would help
you to understand each of those experiences. You need to explain each of the identified theories and concepts by referring to your chosen
experiences as illustrations to support your explanation.
Your essay should start by describing the experiences you have chosen, and the main psychological theories and concepts which help you to
understand those experiences. You will then need to explain those theories and concepts, using your selected reflective journal experiences to
illustrate your answer.
My selected experiences: [please use your imagination for this essay 🙂 ]
1- moving from my hometown, a small and green rural town in Spain to a large city without much vegetation but huge buildings (Dubai)
2- Changing from indoor yoga classes (Less unproductive / ineffective) to outdoor yoga classes (more beneficial and productive)
(You can choose as many as you want from the below theories to support the expiriences )
Theories and concepts:
• Five types of self-knowledge – Neisser’s (1988)
• Embodiment – Neisser’s (1988)
• Embedment – Paul Stevens (2010)
• Boundaries of the self – Hartmann (1991)
• Defense Mechanisms – Hartmann (1991)
• ‘Place attachment’ – Abbott-Chapman (2006)
• Humans prefer natural over urban – Richard- Knopf (1987)
• and Kaplan et al. (1972)
• Preference for Nature is something that humans are born with – Bornstein (2011)
• Fractals – Forsythe et al. (2011)
• ‘Renewing diminished functional resources and capabilities’ Hartig and Staats (2013)
• Restorative environment – Ulrich (1983)
• Attention restorative theory (ART)
• Attentional Fatigue (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989)
• Ulrich’ s Psychevolutionary Theory
• Perceived Restoratives Scale (RCES)
• Ecotherapy
• Ecological self
• Biophilia
• ‘Nature deficit disorder’ – Richard Louv (2005)