More Than Bricks and Mortar:Determining How the Psychological Qualities of Home Places Influence Resident Well-being

Stephanie Wilkie, Q-Pei Tan, Joanne O’LynnDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of Sunderland U.K.

Research QuestionsHow does home influence resident well-being? (Study 2)

Limitation: Housing is not home.- A range of places are considered home

Limitation: Psychological qualities not explored.

- Implied link after urban regeneration

What are the key qualities of home places? (Study 1 and 2)

Limitation: Overlap between terms and lack of consensus regarding key qualities.- Social/Personal /Physical framework- Between 6 – 15 characteristics- Absence of people-place concepts

Limitation: Absence of a general measure of home qualities.- Qualitative methods dominate- Existing measures too specialized

Housing- Physical structure- Quality

Influences on well-being- Lack of control- Incivilities- Quality

DampNoise

Differentiating Housing & Home (LO1)

Home-Physical + Activity + Meaning

Influences beyond housing quality-Urban regeneration

Autonomy

Haven

Status

Home Places

Country1

State2

City3

Place4

1

32

N = 129 and N = 96

Home Residence (52-58%)

Items (41 to 22 to 14)PD-S: Feeling safe is one of the appeals of this place.

PD-L: The layout of the place works well for my needs.

PA: I would like to live here the rest of my life.

PI: Many of my happiest memories have occurred here.

Organizing Qualities with Established Concepts (LO2)

Place Depend

ence (Social and Lifestyle)

Behaviour: Centrality &

commitment

Place Attachment

Affect: Emotional bonds

Place IdentityCognition: ‘Who I am’ Territori

alityOwnership &

Control

Home

Relative Importance Varied

Place Attachment Place Identity Territoriality Place Dependence1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2.8

3.89

4.73

5.18

Place Attachment Place Identity Lifestyle Place Dependence

Territoriality Social Place Dependence

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

5.36

6.366.54

6.91

8.09

Study 1 Study 2

Satisfaction with Home

Place DependenceLayout Style Belonging Safe Comfortable

57%

What are the key qualities of home? (RQ1)

Limitation 2: No general measure

- Not an alternative measure of satisfaction.

Limitation 1: Need for clarity

Reduction of categories and terminological variation.

- Four factors consistent with common person-place concepts and applicable to a range of home places.

- Place dependence is the key construct for considering a place home.

- Physical qualities associated with home are focused on goal support.

Subjective (Diener)

Life Satisfaction

Judgment of overall quality of life

How does home influence resident well-being? (RQ2)PsychologicalSelf-determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)

Basic Psychological Needs

- Autonomy- Competence- Relatedness

Vitality- State measure- Feel alive and energetic

Life Satisfaction & Vitality

35%Place Dependence

24%Place Dependence

Basic Psychological Need Fulfillment

33%Place DependencePlace Identity ( - )

Autonomy Competence Relatedness

17%Territoriality

23%Place Dependence

Potential Applications (LO3)Post-occupancy Evaluation

Value-added Approach

- Important to satisfaction

- Provides an additional measure to assess project outcomes

Design & Urban Regeneration

Physical + Social

- Compliments traditional quality measures

- Integrate ‘soft’ benefits of regeneration into the planning process

- Tool for agencies (e.g. social housing)

Clinical & Counseling

Home not a happy place

- Forced relocation

- No home or negative

- Encourage bonds with other locations

Integrating the Qualities of Home into Person-Place Theories (LO4)

Sense of Place

Place Dependence Place Identity Place

Attachment

What comes first?

• Attachment or Identity

• Both sub-ordinate to another

Home or Place?

• Is home just a special type of place?

HOME n.

1. A place where one lives; a residence.

2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.

3. A dwelling place together with the family or social unit that occupies it; a household.

4. a. An environment offering security and happiness.b. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.

5. The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.

6. The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a source.

7. A headquarters; a home base.

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