Theory of
perception risk
This section discusses the
epistemological, conceptual and modular frameworks of risk perception as an
object of study, corpus and theoretical matrix from which the literature
consulted warns the prevalence of representation biases of observable resources
on the expected impact of scarcity, shortage, insalubrity and lack of
consumption. The process is to ensure that natural disasters and ecological
catastrophes far are not linked to the personal situation, or local issues are
not of such magnitude involving a conservationist action, is known
as an environmental farsightedness. In this sense, this paper
aims to specify a model for the study of this perceptual bias that
explains the relationship between nature and humanity.
Psychology of Sustainability (PS)
has established theoretical and conceptual frameworks to explain the causal
relationship between water availability and consumption per capita through
cognitive processes. In this sense, the objective of this paper
is to present theories about environmental situations. For this
purpose, from a review of the state of knowledge causal relationships between
hydrological exclusion and culture, the state, society, the media, communities,
neighborhoods, families and individuals are explained. Theoretical models
for explaining the beliefs, values, perceptions, attitudes, knowledge,
motivation, skills, intentions and behaviors in terms of scarcity, shortage and
environmental unhealthiness [8] arise. Exposing the theoretical framework
will serve to open the discussion about the accuracy, development, construction
and innovation of theoretical models that link personal areas, family,
territorial, local, regional and global where water scarcity impacts the
behavior human by regulating basic social - cognitive processes.
Psychology of Sustainability,
farsightedness, in its general conception, is skewed perceptions regarding the
impact of environmental catastrophes and natural disasters resulting from
climate change which are appreciated by society as isolated events that do
not would impact either directly or indirectly in quality life,
residential comfort and subjective well - being.
In the context of the psychology of
water resources and services, found that the utilitarian beliefs determine
water consumption indicated by washing dishes, grooming, watering plants,
washes dishes and cleaning sidewalk. That is, the information concerning
droughts, scarcity and shortages seems to influence the beliefs that process
information in such a way that water is considered an instrument of
cleanliness, comfort and relaxation. Hyperopia appears to be a
complex process that would be indicated by their degree of utilitarianism [9].
Thus, farsightedness precedes
utilitarian beliefs, but in relation to processing systems and information
categorization suppose, for Corral et al. [10], other relationships with
perceptions of time perspective: 1) orientation to the past, 2)
future orientation and 3) sustainable styles with dimensions such as: a) this
hedonistic, b) present fatalistic, c) positive last d) past negative e)
propensity future. Each of the dimensions, to interact with
each other in order to anticipate water conservation, perceptual and
behavioral established a system that would be linked with farsightedness past
orientation and dimensions of the hedonistic past present and
positive. That is, hyperopia would be a process of information concerning
past located in the risks that would be little related to this comfort and
unlinked future.
However, if farsightedness supposed
informational categorizations that will result in the utilitarianism
of water resources and services, then the hedonism is not only detached from
the perceived risks in the past and would not have a significant impact on the
present, but also would you relate to utilitarianism which regards
natural resources and public services as instruments of comfort.
Utilitarianism and hedonism, while
social norms and values ??scattered groups consider water as a means of
comfort, determine damaging behavior. The study of Frías et al. shows that
social norms determine individual principles crystallized into specific
actions, but both are embodied in moral standards define an identity
based on the context [11]. That is, hyperopia is also the result of a process of
identification of the individual with regard to the conduct of a group and
social actions to droughts or floods, which were disseminated in the media and
led a hedonistic response rather than conservationist.
Hyperopia would be reflected by
utilitarianism and hedonism that the reference group or membership developed
and influenced the individual in a hostile environment, although permissible
with groups skewed perceptions towards self - management capabilities
of natural resources and public services.
However, from the perspective of
Gilford [12], pessimism rather than fatalism is different spatial levels:
local, national and global. Consequently, farsightedness is not just a
perceptual bias of social, collective and personal standards indicated by their
degree of usefulness and hedonism, but also is a bias scenario that the
recipient is unknown and homogenized thus to have control or
certainty context of water availability.
Farsightedness, as a spatial bias,
explain the biophilia in contexts of natural diversity
as a determinant of pro - environmental
behavior. Corral et al. [13] modeled both variables with social
intolerance and age to show that there was an implicit relationship between
environmental conservation and affinity towards nature. In this sense,
farsightedness would be linked to social intolerance since the biophilia would
immediate and specific conservation actions in the immediate
environment, but once guaranteed the existence of species, the individual could
develop a hedonism and utilitarianism to its preserved environment.
Under its regulations, valuation,
perceptual, attitudinal and behavioral implications hyperopia is a complex
psychological construct sustainable which is an interdisciplinary
study. The implications of the study for hyperopia have environmental
policies and public services are unpublished.
In principle, a
socio - political farsightedness would be indicated by perceptual biases
about the relationship between society, state and nature. In that vein,
utilitarianism and hedonism reported in studies of the psychology of
sustainability serve to conceptualize the social and political
dimension of farsightedness as one in which climate change, resource scarcity
and shortages in the cities would be an instrument power and control would
reduce civil participation conflicts with their authorities and natural
resources in tandem services.
Thus, the
social and political farsightedness explain social mobilization and
collective action such as demonstrations, rallies, sit - ins or
marches as instruments of pressure and negotiation between public service users
and local authorities.
In summary, the theory of risk
perception has been built from concepts and models ranging from personal to
global situations, building applicability in communication and risk management
at the institutional level.
Studies of
perception risk
This section reviews the findings
that report the effects of risk events on resource management, consumption and
use of public water services, emphasizing the year of publication, as well as
the repository in which the literature was published. and its indexing quality.
Socio - political farsightedness
specification implies the establishment of the effects of ecocentric campaigns
in the preservation of the water market. From the sixties, ecological movements
that shown the harmful effects of the market economy, liberal policies,
industrial societies, the massification of services and consumerism of
diversified products [14]. Later, in the seventies, the anti-armaments
movements that are more concerned with the preservation of animal and plant
species arise [15].
Conservation demonstrations raised
the exploitation of resources based on availability. In the eighties, ideas and
environmental actions such as boycotts of products and services, consumption
metering and even abstentionism characterize post - industrial societies. Given
the uncertainty and insecurity arising from radioactive Chernobyl reactor
explosion, environmental groups were organized to protest massively and
systematically in major cities worldwide. The fall of the socialist bloc showed
new forms of nuclear destruction of the environment and with them, new forms of
environmental organization [16].
Marches, rallies and demonstrations
gave way to realistic demonstrations of the extermination of species when dead
cetaceans environmental groups moved to the streets of European cities. These
demonstrations were complemented by actions of direct intervention to prevent
the extermination of whales, seals, bears or birds. Demonstrations leave the
streets and enter the portals of government institutions [17]. Blocking servers
and network attack with computer viruses are examples of activism that
characterizes the nineties. Finally, the consolidation of sustainable
development extended to the economic, political, social, cultural, educational,
scientific and technological growth depending on the availability of resources
without affecting the ability of future generations to use these resources
areas. In this sense, political campaigns have used the principles of
sustainable development to attract followers.
In the hydrological context, vows
are exchanged for water redistribution. However, sustainable development
coexists with another form of hedonistic, improvised and development Heuristic:
liquid consumption [18].
The majority influence suggests that
the systematic use of a resource is determined by the power of majority
decision. If the bulk of the population has a habit of daily grooming, then the
individual will be influenced to adopt a style of anthropocentric life where
water resources are considered an exclusive service for current human needs,
regardless of the capability’s human generations later and the needs of current
and future species [19]. The majoritarian model is straightforward because
through considered an expert source may influence the decision of the
individual consumer. Indeed, the conformity of the individual is the result of
the majority influence [20].
In contrast, argues that minority
influence consumption of natural resources due to the identity established by
the individual to the group around him. Thus, grooming can vary depending on
the lifestyle of the group to which the individual belongs. If the group has a
policy of grooming with a minimum of water, then the individual will perform
that action regardless of the availability of water [21]. This is an indirect
influence as lifestyle impacts the future rather than the consumption decision
in the present. Therefore, innovation is the main consequence of the minority
influence.
Both processes of social, majority
or minority influence, seem to ignore the availability of resources that
economic approach shows how essential factor, are nevertheless relevant because
warn that regardless of the amount of consumable water, decision making present
or future is determined by the social norm or the standard group [22].
Symbols, meanings and senses that
correspond are the means involving the prematerialists cultures, cultures and
post - materialist materialistic cultures with the environment [23]. In
pre-materialist cultures, nature is symbolized as a conglomeration of such
significant community elements such as human elements forming a group [24].
In contrast, often, nature is
symbolized as inexhaustible resources by groups that transform and redistribute
promoting inequalities characteristics of neoliberal economic societies.
Finally, when the post - materialist cultures have reached a very high economic
and educational status, nature is symbolized as a stage for the rights of each
agency for its subsistence [25]. From these cultural distinctions nine theories
explain the cultural world views of nature.
The theoretical relations between
the perceptual factors are adjusted to the empirical observations in the
locality of study, or will they be different given the specificity of the
relations between the political and social actors with respect to the
environmental perception of the resources and the water services.
The relations between the factors
when explained from global and regional references, anticipate local scenarios
considering the specificity of the actors regarding the scarcity, shortage,
unhealthiness and scarcity of the municipal water service.
Although the asymmetries between
governments and citizens are observable in the perceptions about the quality of
the water service, local inequalities such as hoarding, conflicts and dosing
skills lead to perceptions of risk rather than utility of the municipal
service.
In summary, the classic studies of
risk perception highlight the phenomenon of hyperopia as a result of a process
of exposure, information, processing and dissemination of threats and
contingencies emanating from the media, received by audiences and again disseminated
in electronic media such as digital networks, highlighting the reduction and
amplification of risks, the import and export of risk categories, as well as
the framing of risk events according to the source, type of audience and
possible effects.
Specification
of a model for study perception risk
The specification of a model is a
first phase in the null hypothesis test process. It is a scheme of
relationships between the variables reviewed in the literature. Thus, the
literature consulted reveals four instances of the effect of environmental
risks on exposed and unexposed people with and without consequences of
contingencies and threats [26].
General expectation of the event: Risk events when exposed in the media due to their magnitude and social
impact are phenomena for local, regional or global audiences [27]. This is the
dissemination of information on threats and contingencies that generate
expectations in viewers, Internet users, radio listeners, movie buffs and
newspaper subscribers. The perception of risk events is an unforeseeable,
immeasurable and unpredictable phase that corresponds to events with these same
characteristics as the environmental catastrophe develops and its immediate
consequences in an overexposed or unexposed population.
Reduction & amplification of risk: In an unexposed and exposed population, without sequelae or affected, risk
amplification is a simultaneous phase of the perceptual process that increases
or decreases the effects of threats and contingencies. Hyperopia is broken down
into two segments, one of reduction and one of risk amplification [28].
Perceptual import and export: The
expectations of the local events that extend to forecasts of those same events
in other latitudes suppose a latent farsightedness. These are perceptual biases
in which media audiences participate in the export of risk expectations and in
the importation of the replica of the events and their effects [29].
Expected framing of the event: The
instance in which risk events are observed in real time is known as perceptual
Internet bias. It is a simultaneous dimension with respect to the real
expectation of the event and its expected consequences for the information
available in the media [30]. It is an instance in which the event is perceived
according to the framework of the media. Hyperopia is broken down into an
agenda of issues in the media and audiences, based on that information they
develop expectations about that media agenda.