Bates, Theresa (2012) The Experience of Relocation to an Area of High Amenity in Australia: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
In recent decades, many people throughout the industrialised world have relocated to areas of high amenity (Benson & O'Reilly, 2009a). These are generally non-urban areas, coastal or rural, with high quality natural landscapes and/or sociocultural environments (Chipeniuk, 2008). Often, such relocation is motivated by lifestyle choices, sometimes referred to as the sea-change or tree-change phenomenon (Ragusa, 2010). Receiving communities can experience fluctuating populations, exacerbated by migrants leaving the area after a relatively short time–perhaps due to unfulfilled hopes (Barcus, 2004; Nelson, 2006). This can have negative consequences for the town and for the migrants themselves (Gurran, 2008). Little is known about individuals’ experiences after relocating to areas of high amenity and there is insufficient evidence to hypothesise about psychological outcomes. This exploratory study therefore employed a method, developed within the field of psychology, that allowed participants to identify what aspects of the experience had been important for them, from their own perspectives. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, 1995) was used to analyse data from semi-structured interviews with individuals who had moved to Cara (pseudonym) 6 months to 3 years prior to the study. Cara is an Australian semi-rural tourist destination, known for its scenic, cultural, and social amenity. In line with Smith, Flowers, and Larkin’s (2009) recommendations on sample size for IPA Honours/Masters theses, 3 interviews (totalling 6 hours) covered considerable breadth and depth. The analysis produced 4 themes: a) the fit between the individual and their new location; b) friendship and becoming a part of something vs. alienation and self-doubt; c) responding to challenges; and d) relocation to an area of high amenity as an intense experience. Such relocation can be intensely positive, or intensely distressing, and therefore warrants further investigation. This study describes and interprets those experiences in great detail, identifying many avenues for future study, including research regarding possible intervention strategies.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Charlotte Brownlow |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 01:11 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 01:11 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52147 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
