Relationships to non-residential places: Towards a reconceptualization of attachment to place.
Item
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Title
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Relationships to non-residential places: Towards a reconceptualization of attachment to place.
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Identifier
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AAI9432359
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identifier
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9432359
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Creator
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Manzo, Lynne Catherine.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Susan Saegert
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Date
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1994
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, General | Geography
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Abstract
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The purpose of this research was to explore the nature of people's emotional relationships to places in their lives. Since much of the scholarly literature focuses on positive relationships, and almost exclusively on the residence, this research was undertaken to learn more about the range of places which people consider important, and the breadth of experiences which made those places meaningful.;In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with forty people between the ages of 25 and 35, who lived in the New York City metropolitan area. Participants were of different race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. Interview questions were worded in a non-place-specific manner so as not to bias participants towards their residence.;Findings reveal that people developed meaningful relationships to a variety of places and that these relationships were a fundamental part of their lives. People described their feelings towards both residential and non-residential places, including bathrooms, bars, parks, a photography darkroom, and libraries. Findings also indicate that the residence was only one of many meaningful places in participants' lives. Some did not feel connected to their residence at all. For others, their residence was a painful place, and their relationships to it reflected struggles for self-affirmation and belonging.;Relationships to places also reflected people's evolving identities. Participants felt it was very important to find places where they could be themselves and explore what that means. For those who struggled with their identity, from trauma, neglect or bigotry, places interacted with their self-development in particularly complex ways. People's race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality were not merely individual characteristics, but part of a socio-political reality that affected the way they were treated in the world, and therefore how they experienced it.;Based on these findings, it was evident that emotional relationships to places reflect people's particular journey in the world. This personal evolution was evident in people's descriptions of how they made a place for themselves in the world on both a physical and existential level.;Finally, the disparity between cultural myths about "home" and people's actual experiences in their residence indicate that "home" as a spatial metaphor is misleading and ignores other important relationships to places outside of the residence. It is essential to find a new language that more adequately reflects the realities and nuances of people's lives. This research offers the notion of journeying in the world as one alternative metaphor.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
