Psychological and physical indicators of a transcendental positive environment and its impact on sustainable behavior

Based on the premise that an environment is positive if it satisfies human needs and, in addition, instigates the conservation of natural and social resources, this research aimed at empirically testing a model of transcendental positive environment. One hundred and twenty Catholic Mexicans responded to an instrument that evaluated sense of transcendence, religiosity, and physical characteristics of the temples they attended. The instrument also measured the self-report of sustainable behaviors. By using structural equations, two higher-order constructs were modeled: "transcendental environment" and "sustainable behavior", the former indicated by the interrelations among three first-order factors: temples' physical elements, transcendence, and religiosity, and the latter, indicated by four factors (proecological, altruistic, frugal and equitable behaviors). The higher-order factors emerged coherently from their indicators, and the transcendental environment factor significantly and positively influenced the sustainable behavior factor. Implications of these results for the study and promotion of sustainable behaviors are discussed within the framework of positive environments theory.