1.1.1 Theoretical underpinnings Reference group behavior theory is the idea that individuals seek membership in social groups they perceive as desirable, and therefore adopt the values, judgments, standards, and/or norms of those social groups (Hyman 1942; Merton and Kit 1950). Pioneering work on the production of the American lawn asserts that multi-national petrochemical companies helped craft an idealized image of lawns (Robbins 2007). The apparently well-maintained lush front lawn required many resource inputs such as water, fertilizers, and pesticides that people” would need to purchase in order to “lawn reproduce the lawn (Bormann et al 2001; Robbins 2007; Groffman et al “industrial” 2014). Other factors were important too. Declining maintenance costs, changes in the global non-lawn-related chemical market, and the growing popularity of larger suburban housing lots also played a role in the widespread adoption and proliferation of the quintessential and iconic front lawn (Robbins and Sharp 2003; Robbins 2007). Nevertheless, a collective culture of obligation among a community is often created, and termed a economy”. The moral economy explanation of the lawn care suggests “moral that members of households will feel ashamed and as though they have let down their neighbors if they do not properly maintain a particular lawn appearance. Recent evidence from the cognitive sciences support the theory that shame is an evolutionarily advantageous emotion - while unpleasant, like pain - that is designed to defend against devaluation in one’s social ecology (Sznycer et al 2016). Fear, anxiety, shame, and/or guilt motivate people into adopting practices that allow them to mimic their neighbors’ visible lawn care practices (Robbins 2007).
1.1.1 Theoretical underpinnings Reference group behavior theory is the idea that individuals seek membership in social groups they perceive as desirable, and therefore adopt the values, judgments, standards, and/or norms of those social groups (Hyman 1942; Merton and Kit 1950). Pioneering work on the production of the American lawn asserts that multi-national petrochemical companies helped craft an idealized image of lawns (Robbins 2007). The apparently well-maintained lush front lawn required many resource inputs such as water, fertilizers, and pesticides that “lawn people” would need to purchase in order to reproduce the “industrial” lawn (Bormann et al 2001; Robbins 2007; Groffman et al 2014). Other factors were important too. Declining maintenance costs, changes in the global non-lawn-related chemical market, and the growing popularity of larger suburban housing lots also played a role in the widespread adoption and proliferation of the quintessential and iconic front lawn (Robbins and Sharp 2003; Robbins 2007). Nevertheless, a collective culture of obligation among a community is often created, and termed a “moral economy”. The moral economy explanation of the lawn care suggests that members of households will feel ashamed and as though they have let down their neighbors if they do not properly maintain a particular lawn appearance. Recent evidence from the cognitive sciences support the theory that shame is an evolutionarily advantageous emotion - while unpleasant, like pain - that is designed to defend against devaluation in one’s social ecology (Sznycer et al 2016). Fear, anxiety, shame, and/or guilt motivate people into adopting practices that allow them to mimic their neighbors’ visible lawn care practices (Robbins 2007).
DHLockeDissertation_OfRecord.docx