Shaping the Environmental Self: The Role of Childhood Experiences in Shaping Identity Standards of Environmental Behavior in Adulthood

Abstract

Existing research shows that childhood processes affect identity formation. However, there is limited scholarly understanding about how these processes work as children age. The case of environmental behavior offers the opportunity to interrogate these processes. I use reflective interviews with 40 participants in the 2014 People’s Climate March in New York to understand how the socialization of environmental behavior in childhood shapes their perceptions of the processes of identity formation related to participation in the environmental movement. I argue that environmental movement behavior is facilitated by the development of compatible identity standards during childhood. I find that four processes—nature experiences, witnessing degradation, parental modeling, and school experiences—influence participation in environmental movement behavior in adulthood. My results highlight varied ways that behavior in adulthood can be facilitated through the shaping of identity standards over the life course. This research has implications for research on socialization, identities, social movements, and the environment.