Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-rngvg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-04T21:13:53.443Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - Issues and Opportunities for Defining and Measuring ‘The Psychology of Place’

from Part I - Conceptual Frameworks and Worldviews

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2026

Iain M. Butterworth
Affiliation:
Iain Butterworth and Associates
Get access

Summary

This chapter critically examines ‘sense of place’ within a post-colonial context, addressing its theoretical complexity and the absence of Indigenous perspectives in mainstream discourse. Building on Erfani’s synthesis of over 2,000 studies, it explores four core components—place attachment, identity, satisfaction, and dependence—while highlighting their intersections with psychological sense of community. The chapter emphasises the need to integrate Indigenous worldviews, which conceive humans as inseparable from land and place, contrasting with settler-colonial paradigms rooted in ownership and separation. It advocates for Indigenous-led methodologies to measure sense of place, showcasing frameworks like the Mauri Model and Caring for Country. By bridging gaps between Western and Indigenous perspectives through participatory, Indigenous-led approaches such as ‘working two-ways’ or ‘two-eyed seeing’, the chapter aims to foster mutual understanding and sustainable practices. Ultimately, it calls for a paradigm shift toward holistic, relational conceptions of place to address environmental and cultural challenges in the Anthropocene.

Information

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×