| 其他摘要 | People have always pursued a return to their true nature. Authenticity refers to the degree and feeling of individuals' awareness and practice of their inner emotions, motivations, attitudes, values, which have both state and trait characteristics. Being authentic can: 1) motivate individuals to make moral decisions and behaviors; 2) be beneficial for individuals' mental health; 3) enhance employees' work performance and satisfaction. Much research has provided preliminary insights into conceptualization, operationalization, measurement, features and adaptive implications. How to nurture authenticity, however, is still in question.
This study proposes that nature or nature contact is helpful in boosting authenticity. Based on self-determination theory and previous research results, both contacting with nature physically and psychologically can facilitate individuals' autonomous decision-making and action based on internal values and needs, meeting their basic psychological needs, all of which are important antecedents of authenticity. Therefore, this study will also test the mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in predicting and promoting authenticity through nature. In addition, this study will also study the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity.
Eleven studies have been conducted to test the correlational and causal link between nature and authenticity, the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction, and the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity. Studies 1 and 2 explored the correlational relationship between nature and authenticity, by conducting a cross-sectional investigation and a field quasi-experiment, respectively. The findings showed that both psychological nature contact(nature connectedness; Study 1) and physical nature contact(nurturing indoor plants, Study 1;being in a park, Study 2) were significantly related with higher authenticity.
Studies 3一5 tested causal effect of nature on authenticity, through three different nature manipulations(i.e., having participants watching nature pictures, recalling experiences in nature, making a nature poster). Consistently, all the three nature manipulations(vs. control ones) induced higher state authenticity.
Studies 6-9 further investigated the psychological mechanism(i.e., basic psychological need satisfaction) of the relationship between nature and authenticity. In Study 6, basic psychological needs(i.e., autonomy and relatedness) satisfaction were found to be significant mediators of the relationship between nature connectedness and trait authenticity. In Studies 7一9, participants who watched nature video(Studies 7&9) and being in a park(Study 8) reported higher satisfaction of need for autonomy and state authenticity than heir counterparts who watched urban video or being in a plaza. Furthermore, satisfaction of autonomy need mediated nature's enhancing effect on state authenticity. What's more, Study 9 adopted a Western sample, enhancing the cross-cultural applicability of the findings.
Last but not least, Studies 10 and 11 explored the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity. The findings showed that both short-term(watching nature vs. urban video; Study 10) and long-term(nurturing indoor plants vs. keeping a diary; Study 11) nature contact can enhance authenticity and psychological well-being serially.
Taken together, a series of studies have found that both psychological and physical nature contacts can significantly predict and promote authenticity. At the trait level, satisfaction of need for autonomy and relatedness serves as a mediator between nature connectedness and authenticity at trait level. At the state level, nature enhances authenticity by fulfilling individuals' psychological needs for autonomy. Furthermore, the enhancing effect of nature on authenticity can also explain why nature can increase psychological well-being.
The theoretical significance of this study lies in: 1) expanding the research field of authenticity, proposing and confirming for the first time that nature can enhance authenticity and well-being; 2) revealing the psychological mechanism through which nature promotes authenticity; 3) helping the academic community to better understand the mechanism of nature's effect on psychological well-being.
From a practical perspective, this study: 1) provides modern people with a new approach to pursue authenticity, i.e., engaging with nature; 2) provides a new approach for mental health practitioners to incorporate natural elements into their interventions. |
修改评论