Thalassophilia and marine identity: Drivers of ‘thick’ marine citizenship

Abstract

Changing humanity's relationship with the ocean is identified as one of ten key challenges in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). Marine citizenship is one potential policy approach for reducing anthropogenic harms to the ocean and promoting ocean recovery, and there is a need to better understand marine citizenship motivating factors and their interactions. To contribute to a more holistic understanding, we approached this problem using an interdisciplinary, mixed methodology, which prioritised the voices and experiences of active marine citizens. An online survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine factors spanning environmental psychology (values, environmental identity) and human geography (place attachment and dependency). Our data uncovered a unique marine place attachment, or thalassophilia, which is a novel conceptualisation of the human capacity to bond with a type of place beyond human settlements or defined localities. It is the product of strong emotional responses to the sensorial experience of the ocean and shared social or cultural understanding of ocean place identifications. A key driver of deeper marine citizenship is marine place dependency, and it is positively influence by stimulation and non-conformity values, environmental identity, and thalassophilia. We map significant motivating factors to identity process theory and describe a novel marine identity concept. We propose this as an operational mechanism of marine citizenship action, potentially filling the value- and knowledge-action gaps in the context of marine environmental action. This research provides a cornerstone in marine citizenship research by analysing together in one study a multitude of variables, which cross human-ocean relationships and experiences. The identification and characterisation of thalassophilia and marine identity process theory will enable research and practice to move forwards with a clearer framework of the role of the ocean as a place in environmental action.