Psychological home in the interface between individual variables and structural characteristics of the house building. Two empirical studies

The concept of “Psychological Home” (PH) was introduced to describe “an underlying motive that is driven by an individual’s need to identify a sense of self with a physical locale”(Sigmon, Whitcomb & Snyder, 2002). PH includes cognitive (attributions about our selves in relation to the environment), affective (emotions and feelings associated with the establishment and maintenance of psychological home, e.g. security, warmth, attachment) and behavioural components (actions taken to make a physical location more home-like). Psychological Home is understood as an individual variable, with positive consequences for individuals’ identity and well being. Research studies support the positive effects of PH: individuals scoring higher report more positive psychological functioning and spend more time and effort in attempting to make a place their own (Sigmon et al., 2002). This article will present the results of two studies aimed at investigating Psychological Home (PH) in the Italian context. The first study was conducted in order to test the Italian version of the Psychological Home scale developed by Sigmon et al. (2002) on a sample of 251 adults. Differences according to socio-demographic variables, and relationships with Life Satisfaction were assessed. Results indicated that PH is higher among women, among home owners and in individuals living in detached houses. PH positively contributes to Life Satisfaction. The second study involved 313 individuals and was aimed at further testing the PH scale, by examining differences according to sociodemograhic variables and structural charactestics of the house building, and to assess its role in explaining individuals behavioral intentions concerning a particular type of dwelling: sustainable (or ecological) houses. Results confirmed the differences in PH according to sociodemographic variables; however, PH is not related to the intentions of buying a sustainable house.