Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Lucia Fernandes Langoni.pdf: 3259642 bytes, checksum: 8d853ef4ede18cdb0dc855b5be832170 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-08 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The aim of this research is to analyze the temporal organization and the lifestyle quality of a group of high executives that live and work for some big companies in Sao Paulo City. Based on some studies of the Environmental Psychology field, the main questions this research deals with are how the executives organize their daily routines and deal out their own time and, if so, how organization and managing of time influence the executives perception of their own lifestyle quality. The participants of this research are 10 high executives (directors, vice-presidents or presidents), 5 male and 5 female, due to verify possible differences between men and women. Semi Structured Interviews, the Lifestyle Quality Self-evaluation Tool (Bassani, Corrêa & Einstadt, 2002) and Temporal Organization Self-evaluation Tool, adapted from Goldenstein (2011), were employed as resources due to investigate the way these executives organize their own time and how much they are satisfied with their ranges of health, education, culture, sexual life, spiritual life, profession, family, society, emotions and free-time activities, which has shown an overview of the participants as a group. The results indicate most of the participants, 8 in a group of 10, consider themselves pleased with the lifestyle quality they earned and they also reckon that the temporal organization has a deep impact on their satisfaction self-evaluation (2 of them consider themselves neutral about the lifestyle they earned). Furthermore, the results also demonstrate that the temporal organization influences the participants self-evaluation, and it represents a high impact in their daily routines for 8 of the 10 participants. The ranges also reflect participants satisfaction, only 17% of dissatisfaction: familiar and professional ranges have reached the higher satisfaction levels. On the other hand, cultural and spiritual ranges, the lower ones. However, these last two ranges indicate more neutrality than dissatisfaction. All of the women evaluate themselves as satisfied. In the case of men, 3 of them are satisfied and 2 consider themselves neutral. This research demonstrates that the executives are conscious of their own choices, and it has it reflects on how they organize and distribute their own time. (Sponsor: CNPQ) / O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar a organização temporal e a qualidade de vida de um grupo de altos executivos que reside e trabalha na cidade de São Paulo, em empresas de grande porte. Baseada nos estudos da Psicologia Ambiental, a questão norteadora foi investigar se e como a forma de os executivos organizarem suas rotinas e distribuírem o próprio tempo influenciava a avaliação que faziam da própria qualidade de vida. Participaram do estudo dez altos executivos (diretores, vice-presidentes ou presidentes), sendo cinco do sexo masculino e cinco do sexo feminino, o que permitiu observar eventuais diferenças entre os gêneros. Entrevistas semiestruturadas, o Instrumento de Autoavaliação de Qualidade de Vida (Bassani, Corrêa e Einstadt, 2002) e o Instrumento de Autoavaliação de Organização do Tempo, adaptado de Goldenstein (2011) foram utilizados como ferramentas para investigar como esses executivos organizam seu tempo e o quanto estão satisfeitos nos seguintes âmbitos: saúde, educacional, cultural, sexual/amorosa, espiritual, profissional, familiar, social, emocional e de lazer, avaliados nos instrumentos. A análise, realizada individualmente e por âmbito, possibilitou uma visão grupal. Os resultados indicaram que a maioria do grupo está satisfeita com a própria qualidade de vida, já que oito dos dez participantes se autoavaliaram como satisfeitos e dois como neutros. Além disso, apontaram que a organização temporal influenciava a autoavaliação do grupo, impacto considerado alto para oito dos dez participantes. Os âmbitos também registraram satisfação; apenas 17% das avaliações acusaram insatisfação. Familiar e profissional obtiveram os maiores graus de satisfação. Cultural e o espiritual acusaram os menores graus de satisfação, no entanto, mais próximos da neutralidade do que da insatisfação. Todo o grupo feminino se autoavaliou como satisfeito e, no masculino, houve três satisfeitos e dois neutros. O estudo mostrou que os participantes estão conscientes de suas escolhas, o que se reflete na forma como organizam o tempo de que dispõem

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:38:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VioletaORQ_DISSERT.pdf: 489381 bytes, checksum: 0ea3946e6ca6bb5b9b1a7fa7c7e571cd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-09-12 / Embora a escassez de ?gua seja reconhecida como um dos principais problemas mundiais a ser enfrentado pela humanidade, padr?es comportamentais ecologicamente insustent?veis ainda persistem. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar determinantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua, bem como os significados que lhe s?o atribu?dos por alunos do ensino m?dio do Centro Federal de Educa??o Tecnol?gica do Rio Grande do Norte, em Natal. Compuseram a amostra de conveni?ncia 315 estudantes, 146 mulheres e 169 homens, que responderam a um question?rio sobre uso e percep??o da ?gua, contendo tamb?m indicadores de pr?-ambientalismo, cuidado ambiental, desenvolvimento sustent?vel, perspectiva temporal, externalidades e coletivismo, al?m de inqu?rito s?cio-demogr?fico. Para os participantes, ?gua ? sin?nimo de vida, muito embora a rela??o que mant?m com ela parece d?bia e, muito mais funcional que ecol?gica; consideram-na um recurso finito, um patrim?nio indispens?vel ? vida, contudo n?o foi observada coer?ncia entre as concep??es manifestadas e os comportamentos auto-relatados de uso da ?gua. Os resultados encontrados apontaram preditores importantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua: sexo do respondente, Escala Novo Paradigma Ecol?gico e deixar forma de contato para participar de campanhas futuras. Seja para aprofundamento te?rico em novos estudos, seja para auxiliar na elabora??o de programas de educa??o ambiental, que poderiam contribuir para inibir os efeitos de uma cultura de consumo e de uma vis?o utilitarista da ?gua, ampliando esfor?os individuais e coletivos para a preserva??o de bens comuns, como a ?gua. Palavras-chave: psicologia ambiental; sustentabilidade; ?gua; comportamento pr?ambiental. x xi Abstract Although water scarcity is recognized as one of the main world-wide problems to be faced by human kind, ecologically unsustainable patterns of behavior still persist. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze pro-environmental behavior related to water, as well as meanings associated to it by high school students of Federal Center of Technological Education of Rio Grande do Norte, in Natal. The convenience sample was composed by 315 students, 146 women and 169 men, who answered a questionnaire about use and perception of water, containing indicators of proenvironmentalism, environmental care, sustainable development, time perspective, externalities and collectivism, besides socio-demographic items. According to participants, water is synonymous of life, even though the relationship they present with it is ambiguous, much more functional than ecological; they consider it a finite resource, an indispensable life patrimony, however there was no coherence between such conceptions and the self-reported behaviors of water use. Results indicated three important predictors of pro-environmental behavior: sex of respondent, New Ecological Paradigm Scale and telephone/address left for eventual contact to participate in future environmental campaigns. They may be used in additional studies for theoretical development, or to assist in the planning of programs of environmental education, aimed at the inhibition of the effects of a culture of consumption and of an utilitarian perception of water, extending individual and collective efforts towards the preservation of common resources as water / Embora a escassez de ?gua seja reconhecida como um dos principais problemas mundiais a ser enfrentado pela humanidade, padr?es comportamentais ecologicamente insustent?veis ainda persistem. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar determinantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua, bem como os significados que lhe s?o atribu?dos por alunos do ensino m?dio do Centro Federal de Educa??o Tecnol?gica do Rio Grande do Norte, em Natal. Compuseram a amostra de conveni?ncia 315 estudantes, 146 mulheres e 169 homens, que responderam a um question?rio sobre uso e percep??o da ?gua, contendo tamb?m indicadores de pr?-ambientalismo, cuidado ambiental, desenvolvimento sustent?vel, perspectiva temporal, externalidades e coletivismo, al?m de inqu?rito s?cio-demogr?fico. Para os participantes, ?gua ? sin?nimo de vida, muito embora a rela??o que mant?m com ela parece d?bia e, muito mais funcional que ecol?gica; consideram-na um recurso finito, um patrim?nio indispens?vel ? vida, contudo n?o foi observada coer?ncia entre as concep??es manifestadas e os comportamentos auto-relatados de uso da ?gua. Os resultados encontrados apontaram preditores importantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua: sexo do respondente, Escala Novo Paradigma Ecol?gico e deixar forma de contato para participar de campanhas futuras. Seja para aprofundamento te?rico em novos estudos, seja para auxiliar na elabora??o de programas de educa??o ambiental, que poderiam contribuir para inibir os efeitos de uma cultura de consumo e de uma vis?o utilitarista da ?gua, ampliando esfor?os individuais e coletivos para a preserva??o de bens comuns, como a ?gua

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:38:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HellenMBS.pdf: 624745 bytes, checksum: 05c801a8c20db56d1b740cefd46a6bfa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-09-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The intention of the present study was to analyze the adequacy of the playground of elementary schools, according to the point of view of the child student, direct user of this type of environment, what estimated its critical in respect to these spaces and aimed at to contribute for its improvement. Many studies have analyzed the quality of the physical environment available for activities of leisure in specific places for children, focusing in the influence of the physical space in the interpersonal relationships and the comfort and satisfaction generated by the physical characteristics of these spaces. Concern with scholar environment, specially the interest on playgrounds, has been subject of recent studies; however, little attention has been given to the opinion of the user-child in relation to this school environment. In this inquiry of the playground of two state schools of 1? to 4? series of elementary school in the city of Piracicaba, SP, was used: assystematics observations, photographic register of the studied environments, interviews with child-users and behavioral mapping. The main subjects resulting from the analysis of the interviews content were: adaptation, density and interpersonal relationships, and infantile confinement. The results revealed the unsatisfactory conditions of the courtyards, in respect to person-environment relationship. The children demonstrated to be critical, creative and responsible when answering questions related to the quality of the school courtyard. This finding confirms previous studies and leads to the conclusion that the child, as the direct user, should be included as an excellent source of consultation in the planning of the constructed environment / O prop?sito do presente estudo foi analisar a adequa??o do p?tio de escolas do ensino fundamental, segundo o ponto de vista da crian?a estudante, usu?ria direta desse tipo de ambiente, o que pressupunha sua cr?tica a respeito desses espa?os e visava a contribuir para sua melhoria. Muitos estudos t?m analisado a qualidade dos ambientes f?sicos disponibilizados para atividades de lazer em locais espec?ficos para crian?as, focalizando a influ?ncia do espa?o f?sico nas rela??es interpessoais e no conforto e satisfa??o gerados pelas caracter?sticas f?sicas desses espa?os. Preocupa??o com o ambiente escolar, sobretudo o interesse em p?tios escolares, tem sido tema de estudos recentes; entretanto, pouca aten??o tem sido dada ? opini?o do usu?rio-crian?a em rela??o a esse ambiente escolar. Nesta investiga??o dos p?tios de duas escolas estaduais de 1? a 4? s?ries do ensino fundamental na cidade de Piracicaba, SP, foram utilizadas: observa??es assistem?ticas, registro fotogr?fico dos ambientes estudados, entrevistas com as crian?as-usu?rias e mapeamento comportamental. Os principais temas decorrentes da an?lise do conte?do das entrevistas foram: adapta??o, densidade e rela??es interpessoais e confinamento infantil. Os resultados revelaram as condi??es insatisfat?rias dos p?tios, no que diz respeito aos aspectos das rela??es pessoa-ambiente. As crian?as se mostraram cr?ticas, criativas e respons?veis ao responderem quest?es relacionadas ? qualidade do p?tio escolar. Esta constata??o confirma estudos anteriores e conduz ? conclus?o de que a crian?a, como usu?ria direta, deveria ser inclu?da como uma fonte relevante de consulta no planejamento do ambiente constru?do

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:39:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BernardeteLQS.pdf: 454040 bytes, checksum: a2a351b0a2df09b6a0ee0e71d9141ffb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The study offers a global and interpretative view of the person-environment inter-action at Andr? de Albuquerque Plaza, in Natal, RN, according to a descriptive-exploratory approach that aimed at learning about the space converted into place, as it is perceived and experienced by users, who attribute meaning to it. The main objective was to critically analyze the relationship person-plaza, based on data collected about users perception, utilization and ascribed meaning. I have employed an Environmental Psychology multi-method approach, including informal observations, interactive poster session, videotaping and interviews. The results indicated that the plaza, besides being a passage point, is also a spot of urban convergence for several groups, particularly taxi drivers, flanelinhas, skate boarders and students. In regard to the perception of the place, an overall positive evaluation of the plaza was verified, since people perceive selectively what interests them. In terms of usage, different groups of users presented diverse patterns of utilization, also observed in the attributed meanings. The plaza is a work place for taxi drivers and flanelinhas and a sports arena for the skate boarders, with a practical meaning for both groups. For students and other users it is a place for meeting and leisure, revealing a stronger affective quality, responsible for feelings of well being, tranquility and relaxation. The data so obtained could contribute for future government projects of intervention in those spaces, aiming at its preservation as an open spot among the concrete of city buildings, offering better quality of life, not only for today, but also for future generations / A pesquisa oferece uma vis?o global e interpretativa da inter-a??o pessoa-ambiente, na Pra?a Andr? de Albuquerque, em Natal/RN, sendo um estudo descritivo-explorat?rio que oportunizou conhecer um pouco mais sobre este espa?o que se transforma em lugar, na medida em que ? percebido e vivenciado por aqueles que o usam, dando-lhe significado. O objetivo foi refletir criticamente sobre a rela??o pessoa-pra?a, a partir de dados levantados junto aos seus freq?entadores sobre percep??o, uso e significado. Para tanto, recorri a multim?todos como observa??es informais, painel interativo, filmagens e entrevistas. Os resultados alcan?ados sugerem que a pra?a, al?m de espa?o de passagem, ? um ponto de converg?ncia urbana para diversos grupos, principalmente: taxistas, "flanelinhas", skatistas e estudantes. No que se refere ? percep??o, foi poss?vel observar uma avalia??o geral positiva, na medida em que as pessoas percebem seletivamente aquilo que lhes interessa. Quanto ao uso, houve uma distribui??o diferenciada entre os tipos de usu?rios, observada tamb?m nos significados atribu?dos ? mesma. A pra?a ? local de trabalho para taxistas e flanelinhas e espa?o de pr?tica de esportes para skatistas, tendo para ambos um significado pr?tico. J? para estudantes e outros usu?rios, ? lugar de reuni?o e lazer, assumindo um car?ter mais afetivo, fazendo-os sentir bem-estar, tranq?ilidade e relaxamento. Os dados obtidos podem contribuir, futuramente, para projetos governamentais de interven??o nesse espa?o, para a sua preserva??o como uma clareira no meio do concreto das constru??es da cidade, visando uma melhor qualidade de vida, n?o somente para as pessoas de hoje, mas, tamb?m, para as gera??es futuras. Palavras-chaves: pra?a, percep??o ambiental, Natal, usu?rio, psicologia ambiental

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:39:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VioletaORQ.pdf: 523100 bytes, checksum: 8dfdf0b1b040cd1555f7e5ce213a97fa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-09-12 / Although water scarcity is recognized as one of the main world-wide problems to be faced by human kind, ecologically unsustainable patterns of behavior still persist. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze pro-environmental behavior related to water, as well as meanings associated to it by high school students of Federal Center of Technological Education of Rio Grande do Norte, in Natal. The convenience sample was composed by 315 students, 146 women and 169 men, who answered a questionnaire about use and perception of water, containing indicators of proenvironmentalism, environmental care, sustainable development, time perspective, externalities and collectivism, besides socio-demographic items. According to participants, water is synonymous of life, even though the relationship they present with it is ambiguous, much more functional than ecological; they consider it a finite resource, an indispensable life patrimony, however there was no coherence between such conceptions and the self-reported behaviors of water use. Results indicated three important predictors of pro-environmental behavior: sex of respondent, New Ecological Paradigm Scale and telephone/address left for eventual contact to participate in future environmental campaigns. They may be used in additional studies for theoretical development, or to assist in the planning of programs of environmental education, aimed at the inhibition of the effects of a culture of consumption and of an utilitarian perception of water, extending individual and collective efforts towards the preservation of common resources as water / Embora a escassez de ?gua seja reconhecida como um dos principais problemas mundiais a ser enfrentado pela humanidade, padr?es comportamentais ecologicamente insustent?veis ainda persistem. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar determinantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua, bem como os significados que lhe s?o atribu?dos por alunos do ensino m?dio do Centro Federal de Educa??o Tecnol?gica do Rio Grande do Norte, em Natal. Compuseram a amostra de conveni?ncia 315 estudantes, 146 mulheres e 169 homens, que responderam a um question?rio sobre uso e percep??o da ?gua, contendo tamb?m indicadores de pr?-ambientalismo, cuidado ambiental, desenvolvimento sustent?vel, perspectiva temporal, externalidades e coletivismo, al?m de inqu?rito s?cio-demogr?fico. Para os participantes, ?gua ? sin?nimo de vida, muito embora a rela??o que mant?m com ela parece d?bia e, muito mais funcional que ecol?gica; consideram-na um recurso finito, um patrim?nio indispens?vel ? vida, contudo n?o foi observada coer?ncia entre as concep??es manifestadas e os comportamentos auto-relatados de uso da ?gua. Os resultados encontrados apontaram preditores importantes do comportamento pr?-ambiental relativo ? ?gua: sexo do respondente, Escala Novo Paradigma Ecol?gico e deixar forma de contato para participar de campanhas futuras. Seja para aprofundamento te?rico em novos estudos, seja para auxiliar na elabora??o de programas de educa??o ambiental, que poderiam contribuir para inibir os efeitos de uma cultura de consumo e de uma vis?o utilitarista da ?gua, ampliando esfor?os individuais e coletivos para a preserva??o de bens comuns, como a ?gua. Palavras-chave: psicologia ambiental; sustentabilidade; ?gua; comportamento pr?ambiental

Esta tese apresenta os resultados de um estudo sobre o surgimento de atitudes pró-ambiente, num quadro de inter-relação entre Educação Ambiental e Ecoturismo. Mostra-se aqui que o contato com a natureza é efetivo em gerar atitudes e motivações ambientalistas. A experiência obtida em 16 anos e 107 viagens de Ecoturismo ao Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira - PETAR, com grupos de participantes de atividades dirigidas serviu de ponto de partida para a presente pesquisa. Em estudos iniciais, foram feitas entrevistas com visitantes de 10 áreas naturais do Brasil, visando avaliar suas principais motivações para as visitas a essas localidades e foram aplicados questionários a diversos profissionais de Educação Ambiental a respeito de suas motivações pessoais e estratégias mais eficientes para mudanças de atitudes ambientalistas. A principal motivação apontada pelos visitantes foi de ordem afetiva (\"contemplação ou contado com a natureza\", \"repouso ou fuga da rotina\"). Apesar de ser muito marcante na sua vida, os profissionais de Educação Ambiental atribuíram uma importância relativamente menor ao contato com a natureza. Num estudo experimental, em duas replicações, foram comparados grupos que tiveram um contato dirigido com a natureza (em viagem ao PETAR) a outros que serviram de controle, verificando-se possíveis mudanças de conhecimentos, sentimentos, valores, atitudes e vieses paradigmáticos. A visita dirigida gerou mudanças significativas no sentido de uma transformação dos conhecimentos, valores e atitudes em direção a um comportamento pró-ambiente. As viagens dirigidas à natureza, entretanto, não foram suficientes para gerar percepções diferentes em relação aos paradigmas de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e de Sociedades Sustentáveis. Conclui-se que a concepção do Ecoturismo como um \"turismo de destino\" (a natureza) deve ser substituída por uma \"forma de fazer turismo\", na qual o papel do profissional condutor não se resume a \"levar\", mas sim a \"fazer perceber\". Ao promover afetos especiais no contato com a natureza, o Ecoturismo pode gerar mudanças motivacionais significativas para a constituição de atitudes e valores pró-ambiente. / This thesis presents the results of a study on the rising of pro-environmental attitudes, in an interrelation between Environmental Education and Ecotourism. In this paper, it\'s shown that the contact with nature is effective in generating environmentalist attitudes and motivations. The experience acquired in 16 years and 107 ecotourist trips to Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira - PETAR (Alto Ribeira Turistic State Park) with groups of participants in directed activities was the starting point for the current research. In initial studies, interviews were conducted with visitors of 10 natural areas in Brazil, focusing on the assessment of their main reasons to visit those places, and surveys were carried out with several Environmental Education professionals aiming at their personal reasons and more efficient strategies for changes in the attitude towards the environment. The main reason pointed out by the visitors was of emotional nature (contemplation or contact with nature, relaxation or an escape from routine). Although the contact with nature is outstanding in Environmental Education professionals´ lives, they gave a relatively smaller importance to it. In an experimental study, in two applications, two groups were compared: one which had a directed contact with nature (in trips to PETAR) and a control group, verifying possible changes of knowledge, feelings, values, attitudes and paradigms. The directed visit generated many meaningful changes in what regards knowledge, value and attitude towards a pro-environmental behavior change. The directed trips to the nature, however, were not enough to create different perceptions of Sustainable Development and Sustainable Societies paradigms. The conclusion reached is that the conception of Ecotourism as \"destination tourism\" (to nature) must be substituted by a \"way of making tourism\", in which the role of the leading professional is not only \"guiding\", but \"making the traveler understand\". When boosting special emotions out of the contact with nature, Ecotourism can generate meaningful motivational changes for the construction of proenvironmental attitudes and values.

Decisions of adopting best management practices made on residential properties play an important role in reduction of nutrient loading from non-point sources into Lake Champlain and other waterbodies in Vermont. In this study, we use Bayesian belief network (BBN) to analyze a 2015 survey dataset about adoption of six types of green infrastructures (GSIs) in Vermont’s residential areas. Learning BBNs from physical probabilities of the variables provides a visually explicit approach to reveal the message delivered by the dataset. Using both unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms, we are able to generate networks that connect the variables of interest and conduct inference to look into the probabilistic associations between the variables. Unsupervised learning reveals the underlying structures of the dataset without presumptions. Supervised learning provides insights for how each factor (e.g. demographics, risk perception, and attribution of responsibilities) influence individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors. We also compare the effectiveness of BBN approach and logistic regression in predicting the pro-environmental behaviors (adoption of GSIs). The results show that influencing factors for current adoption vary by different types of GSI. Risk perception of stormwater issues are associated with adoption of GSIs. Runoff issues are more likely to be considered as the governments’ (town, state, and federal agencies) responsibility, whereas lawn erosion is more likely to be considered as the residents’ own responsibility. When using the same set of variables to predict pro-environmental behaviors (adoption of GSI), BBN approach produces more accurate prediction compared to logistic regression.

This thesis takes a phenomenological approach to the examination of the organizational need for shared office space. Questions are developed in a reflexive narrative that introduces challenges to the assumption that space is a given in organizations. The narrative also uses the process of questioning this basis assumption to develop a new understanding of the role of space in organizations in supporting the development of common language needed for the creation of organizational knowledge. Key ideas from systems theory, autopoiesis, organizational theory, semiotics, and psychology are utilized as resources developing the ideas.

This research project responds to the observation of radical ecologists and ecopsychologists that our present approaches to environmental change are widely limited to technological, behavioural and cognitive strategies, and lack a deep understanding of the complex psychological and sociocultural interrelationships that underpin human perception and behaviour. To gain a deepened understanding of our ecological crises from depth psychological, holistic, and transpersonal perspectives, a number of counsellors, psychotherapists, naturopaths, and one environmental educator were either interviewed or completed questionnaires that explored the meaning of the terms ‘environment’ and ‘sustainability’. They were also invited to express their views on environmental deterioration and what it means to them to live sustainably. The knowledge obtained from the research participants, an extensive literature review, and my professional experience as a psychotherapist, workshop facilitator and trainer, suggest that the current dominant theories and practices of environmental education, and other change practices, are limited in their effectiveness. The study proceeds with a discussion of key issues related to the ecological approach proposed in this study; and of emergent areas such as environmental education, education for sustainability, deep ecology and ecofeminism. A critique focuses particularly on the common assumption of conventional learning paradigms that deep change can be achieved without addressing emotional resistance to such change. By using the work of the Resilience Alliance, “a multidisciplinary research group that explores the dynamics of complex adaptive as a reference point it is argued that our need to compensate for our fragmented selves leads to significant resistances to changes in consciousness. The study concludes with a summary of the main findings and thoughts on possible sustainable and unsustainable futures. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The purpose with our research in Varbergs Kurort is to study how persons that have been a part of the individual adjusted rehabilitation program First Step have found their stay during their program. The program holds a team of professionals that together work with the individual’s physical and mental health. In our study we have included eight women and to men in the age between 35-65 years who all suffered from a slight mentally illness. Out of a social psychological perspective we have based our study from the social and room environment and how their self-recovery has affected their wellbeing during their rehabilitation. In our study we have out of qualitative interviews put together our results. The interviews were out of a narrative character where the persons told us about parts out of their lives. Our results shows that there is a huge individual development depending on what faze they are in their depression ore on their way recovering from depression. Most of them felt an enormous support from the staff and by meeting people in similar situations as their own. Also the beautiful surroundings had a positive effect of their recovering. The results have been analysed from Johan Asplunds theory about <em>social responses</em> and <em>unsocial responses</em>, how the social environment affects the individual. We also made an environmental psychological analysis with the theory about <em>restorative surroundings</em> and the term <em>cognitive maps</em> that makes the spatial environmental affects of the individual rehabilitation.</p>