University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The experience of epiphanies accompanied by intense emotions is a common occurrence in the context of natural environments. The occurrence of epiphanies is usually reported as a very memorable episode that has significant influences on subsequent cognition and behavior. Despite the fact that epiphanies appear to occur fairly regularly in people's accounts of their outdoor experiences, they have received little attention in the scientific literature. The purpose of this proposed research is to conduct an extensive multidisciplinary review of empirical and theoretical literature in order to locate data and conceptual frameworks that may be useful in the understanding of experiences of epiphanies in outdoor environments. I will apply these frameworks to an empirical study in which I will attempt to identify common elements of environmental epiphanies in terms of emotional components and behavioral consequences. I will conduct several in-depth interviews with people who have experienced epiphanies in natural environments and explore common trends in the interview transcripts using qualitative content analysis with a grounded theory approach. Experiences of epiphanies may have important ramifications for the manner in which people develop attitudes regarding forest management issues. The study of epiphanies can inform basic theory regarding the formulation and strengthening of environmentally responsible values, attitudes, and behavior.
Key words: environmentally responsible behavior, environmental epiphanies, emotions, forest management, conservation psychology
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