Svein Åge Kjøs Johnsen

• Konijnenberg, Carolien & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2026). The Effects of Personality, Anxiety and Depression on the Attentional Processing of Emotional Faces | Journal of Cognition. The Journal of Cognition. 9(1)(46), p. 1–11. doi: 10.5334/joc.519. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Individual differences in emotional information processing may be explained by attentional biases related to personality traits and affective symptoms. The present study examined how personality, anxiety, and depression symptoms relate to visual attention toward emotional facial expressions. Participants (N = 103) from a non-clinical student sample completed the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25), followed by an eye-tracking task assessing attention to paired neutral and emotional faces. Attentional processing was assessed using initial orienting (time to first fixation) and sustained attention (fixation duration). Participants showed a general bias toward emotional faces, orienting faster to and fixating longer on emotional compared to neutral stimuli. Higher neuroticism was associated with faster initial orienting to fearful and sad expressions and prolonged fixation on emotional faces overall. Anxiety symptoms were linked to faster initial orienting across emotional expressions, indicating heightened sensitivity to emotional stimuli. Depressive symptoms were associated with longer fixation durations on emotional faces overall, without evidence of mood-congruent bias toward sad expressions. Other personality traits showed limited associations with attentional indices. Gender differences were minimal, although males oriented faster to angry faces. These findings suggest that neuroticism, anxiety, and depression contribute to distinct components of attentional bias, with neuroticism linked to both early and sustained processing of negative emotional stimuli, anxiety to early vigilance, and depression to prolonged attention to emotional cues. Results support models emphasizing both vigilance and maintenance mechanisms in emotional attention and highlight the role of individual differences in attentional processes.

• Brown, Marin Kristine & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2026). Minding the Circularity Gap: Modelling the Impact of Green Organisational Strategy and Norms on Employees’ High-Intensity Green Behavioural Intentions. Organization & Environment. ISSN 1086-0266. doi: 10.1177/10860266261444989. Full text in Research Archive
• Kindervaag, Eli; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2025). The Outdoor Care Retreat: Key Insights for Navigating Biophilic Design Innovation in Healthcare Environments. Health Environments Research & Design Journal. ISSN 1937-5867. 19(1), p. 253–253. doi: 10.1177/19375867251365849. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aim The present case study explores insights related to navigating biophilic design innovation in public healthcare using the Outdoor Care Retreat at Oslo University Hospital and the Hospital of Southern Norway as a case. Background Available research from environmental psychology proposes an association between access to biophilic design, well-being, health, and hospitalization satisfaction. Still, integrating this research into public healthcare is challenging and there is a need for research that builds on innovative examples of biophilic design integration in this context. Methods Study findings are based on eight individual interviews with people involved in project initiation and development of the Outdoor Care Retreat, in addition to online public records and other digital documents related to the case study. The qualitative materials were analyzed according to reflexive thematic analysis and categorized into themes. Results Findings illustrate how moving beyond conventional healthcare practices can support the implementation of biophilic design. Specifically, the findings suggest that biophilic design in healthcare benefits from an appealing story, individual contributions, and an organizational and environmental context that challenges common conventions. Drawing from research from public healthcare innovation and biophilic design, the study outlines key insights for implementation. Conclusions This study contributes to bridging the gap between theory and practice in a public healthcare context. It offers key insights for implementing biophilic design in healthcare environments, with the potential to ensure valuable improvements in the hospitalization experience for patients and their families in future developments of public healthcare facilities.

• Letrud, Kåre & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2025). The pseudoscience case consensus: an agreement in name only? Philosophical Psychology. ISSN 0951-5089. doi: 10.1080/09515089.2025.2473947. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Efforts at demarcating pseudoscience from science have in the last four decades been fueled by claims of a substantial extensional consensus. Most philosophers, as well as scientists, reportedly have a knack for recognizing pseudoscience, and they agree on what counts as cases of pseudoscience. It is also believed that this extensional consensus will facilitate an intensional consensus on the defining criteria of pseudoscience. The extensional consensus, however, is undocumented, as is the existence of an acute pseudoscience perceptiveness. In this paper, we survey PhD-holding philosophers to assess whether there is consensus on what are examples of paradigmatic pseudosciences. While we do record an initial agreement on examples that can be called “pseudoscientific”, we find no agreement that any of these are paradigmatic. Furthermore, philosophers with a PhD do not categorize pseudosciences markedly differently from respondents with lower or no degrees, suggesting that philosophers are no better at identifying pseudosciences than others. If these findings are correct, addressing the demarcation between science and nonscience via the pseudoscience – science divide will offer no clear advantage for solving the demarcation problem.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2025). Environmental resource theory: An integrative perspective on human habitat preferences and emotional responses to the environment. New Ideas in Psychology. ISSN 0732-118X. 78. doi: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2025.101162. Full text in Research Archive
• Gottenborg, Simon Aleksander; Hoff, Thomas; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Rydstedt, Leif W & Øvergård, Kjell Ivar (2025). A longitudinal path analysis of the reciprocal and cyclical relationships between sickness absence, job demands, job resources, and burnout. Frontiers in Psychology. 16. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557898. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aim: This study investigates the longitudinal reciprocal cyclical impact of sickness absence on perceived job demands and job resources, as well as its indirect effects on future burnout and further sickness absence. Design and methods: A four-wave longitudinal survey design was employed, with sickness absence data collected at Time 1 and Time 3 and questionnaires assessing psychosocial work environment factors administered at Time 2 and Time 4. Sample: A total of 272 employees from several Norwegian organizations participated in the study. Results: The results provided evidence of a reciprocal longitudinal negative path coefficient between sickness and perceived job resources, while the path coefficient related to job demands was small and non-significant. Additionally, a cyclical reciprocal effect was identified, following the pathway: sickness absence -> job resources -> burnout -> sickness absence, thereby supporting the JD-R model’s predictive capability regarding sickness absenteeism. This implies that sickness absence may lead to a perceived loss of job resources, which subsequently exacerbates burnout and results in further sickness absence over time. Contribution: This study contributes to psychological theory by enhancing the understanding of the longitudinal and reciprocal effects of sickness absence on perceived job characteristics. It also expands the longitudinal evidence base demonstrating burnout’s predictive effect on sickness absence.

• Brick, Cameron; Nielsen, Kristian S.; Berger, Sebastian; Henn, Laura; Wolske, Kimberly S. & Lange, Florian [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2024). Current research practices on pro-environmental behavior: A survey of environmental psychologists. Journal of Environmental Psychology. ISSN 0272-4944. 97. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102375. Full text in Research Archive
• Gjelvik, Ingrid Grimstad; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Lindheim, Maren Østvold; Johansen, Emma Holtet & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). Affordances for agency in a nature-based outdoor activity program: a qualitative study of ‘Nature school’ for childhood critical illness survivors and next of kin. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. ISSN 1472-9679. p. 1–22. doi: 10.1080/14729679.2024.2386342. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aimed to explore the experiences of a nature-based outdoor activity program for children and adolescents who have survived a serious illness like cancer, as well as their siblings. The study utilised individual semi-structured interviews (N=10) and focus group interviews (N=8) to investigate the experiences of participants, parents, and program leaders. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), resulting in two main themes: 1) What nature affords, and 2) Influence on the child. The various affordances in nature influenced the child in multifaceted ways: mastery experiences, autonomy, motivation, awareness, stress reduction and affect regulation, belongingness and social support. These categories are connected to the main agentic features: intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness and self-reflectiveness. The Nature school contributes to the development of agency within children. They become more capable of self-care, and there are examples of the children transferring this knowledge to other aspects of their daily lives.

• Kindervaag, Eli; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Lindheim, Maren Østvold & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). 'This Doesn't Feel Like a Hospital': Children's Experience of the Outdoor Care Retreat Versus Conventional Hospital Design. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. ISSN 0926-9630. 319, p. 322–338. doi: 10.3233/SHTI240954. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores how children experience two different locations at Oslo University Hospital in terms of their architectural design and emotional potential. The first location includes a conventional modern hospital wing, whereas the other is a uniquely designed cabin in natural surroundings outside the hospital building, the Outdoor care retreat. The research is a psychological study of how various locations activate cognitive schemas and lead to elicitation of different emotional responses and modes of behavior for children. Participants included 17 children aged 7 to 16, whereby 11 children had no previous experience with hospitalization for a serious medical condition and 6 children were undergoing treatment or follow-ups related to a medical condition at the time of data collection. The data material consisted of walking interviews accompanied by a semi-structured interview guide. The qualitative material was analyzed by applying reflexive thematic analysis and categorized into themes. Study findings illustrate that children experience the environments differently in terms of physical and emotional restrictions. Overall, the children prefer architectural spaces with direct contact to nature or design that mimics natural environments, in addition to being exciting, friendly, and intimate. In these environments, children feel less restricted, more relaxed and more free to express themselves and a range of emotions. This study proposes that spending time in such environments will increase resilience and hospitalization satisfaction for children admitted to hospitals for longer periods of time. In turn, this could have important implications for practice if included in the design of future health care facilities.

• Grønseth, Anne Sigfrid Farstad; Denizou, Karine; Glomdal, Sigrid Elisabeth & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). Housing Qualities, Spaces and Dispositions for Low-Income Families: Effects on Experiences of Wellbeing, Home and Belonging. In Verma, Ira & Arpiainen, Laura (Ed.), Effects of Design on Health and Wellbeing. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Architecture, Research, Care and Health (ARCH24), Espoo, Finland, 17–19 June 2024. IOS Press. ISSN 9781643685496. p. 472–484. doi: 10.3233/SHTI240965. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Low-income families often live in cramped and unsuitable conditions, and the housing qualities interplay significantly in processes of wellbeing, homing and belonging as housing can be an obstacle to the parents’ transition to labour-market, lead to social exclusion and negatively affect children’s schooling. The paper holds that housing quality includes important aspects of health, wellbeing and security, sociality, accessibility of services and facilities, space for leisure activities, central location, cultural heritage and aesthetics that support identity and place belonging. The study focuses on a new form of supported tenancy; tenancy with a referral agreement (tilvisingsavtale). The agreement differs from ordinary municipal tenancy as the referral agreement gives the municipality the opportunity to offer tenancy to low-income families in the private market. This implies that families renting with a referral agreement live in ordinary neighbourhoods and with equivalent housing qualities as other tenants, rather than in neighbourhoods with municipal elder and commonly worn-down housing located in areas known as “municipal neighbourhood” bearing social stigma and marginality. Methods include architectural inspection, drawing and document analysis, home-visits and interviews with residents and municipal welfare workers in a small Norwegian municipality during 2022/23. Exploring links between housing quality, housing tenure and wellbeing, our material suggests housing quality and space as a complex and flexible experience. We find that the residents tend to assess the referral agreement to offer an increased match to needs in their present everyday life compared to earlier housing, a greater sense of wellbeing and belonging, and to stimulate aspirations for the future. Here, we discuss the housing narratives as it raises precarious issues related to experiences of everyday family-life, autonomy, wellbeing, belonging, home and identity.

• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Lindheim, Maren Østvold; Røtting, Kristine & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2023). The Meaning of the Physical Environment in Child and Adolescent Therapy: A Qualitative Study of the Outdoor Care Retreat. Ecopsychology. 15(3), p. 244–258. doi: 10.1089/eco.2022.0087. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Research on common factors in therapy largely focuses on qualities in the therapist, relationship, or client, with little attention to the meaning of the physical environment. This study contributes to the literature on common factors, aiming for a qualitative in-depth analysis of the ways place, nature, and natural materials affect therapy with hospitalized chronically ill children. The study compares the experience of therapy in the Outdoor Care Retreat (OCR)—an architect-designed cabin in a natural setting behind the Oslo University Hospital in Norway—with therapy in a traditional hospital setting. The findings are based on two group interviews with seven leaders, six individual interviews with therapists (psychologists, social workers, and medical doctors), and four individual interviews with parents of hospitalized chronically ill children. The qualitative data were analyzed according to reflexive thematic analysis and categorized into eight main themes. The (1) affordances of the OCR positively influenced the therapy. The analysis yielded examples of positive influence from the natural setting and materials on both child and therapist, in terms of (2) natural bodily reactions, (3) multifaceted role activation, (4) situations of opportunities, (5) restorative emotional reactions, (6) stronger alliance, and (7) valuable expectations. The subthemes demonstrate which mechanisms were in play, and how these contribute to (8) therapeutic flow in a holding environment. The case study demonstrates the value of considering place and nature for therapy with children. A model of the meaning of the physical environment in therapy is proposed, to be tested in further research.Keywords: Nature-based, Children, Therapy, Biophilic design, Architecture, Common factors

• Fufa, Selamawit Mamo; Henriksen, Marin Kristine; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Fjellheim, Kristin (2023). User perspectives on reuse of construction products in Norway: Results of a national survey. Journal of Cleaner Production. ISSN 0959-6526. 408. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137067. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Construction industry is one of the main contributors to the world's emissions and material footprints. Reuse of construction products is one way to lower the sector's embodied emissions and increase resource utilisation. The aim of this study is to identify the main drivers and challenges affecting reuse of construction products as well as assess success factors, reuse potential, and potential measures which should be considered to overcome these obstacles. An online national survey was conducted on reuse of construction products among actors from the Norwegian construction industry. The valid responses obtained from 260 participants show ‘emission reduction’ as the most important driver for reuse of construction products by all user groups. Even if regulatory and economic components were listed under drivers in the survey questions, they were considered as barriers rather than drivers by some of the respondents. All user groups, except suppliers of reused products, rated ‘lack of documentation’ as the most important barrier, and ‘good planning’ as the most important success factor. Suppliers of reused products rated ‘high cost’ and ‘good planning’ as the most challenging and the most important success factor for reuse, respectively. The findings also reveal different perceptions and levels of optimism among actors. Most respondents were optimistic about availability of reusable products (within less than 5 y), but least optimistic about finding cheaper reusable products in the near future (assuming it might take 9 to 17 y). Laws and regulations, testing, documentation and certification, and economic subsidies are mentioned as the top three measures to address the current barriers. Concerning the definition of the term ‘Reuse’, the findings indicate a lack of common understanding – and the need to create a clear description and a harmonised definition. The findings from the study show the need to take several actions to address the current challenges of reuse.

• Konijnenberg, Carolien; Vucic, Marta & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2023). Winter wonderland: The effects of a snowy winter nature walk on subjective stress and salivary cortisol levels. Wellbeing, Space and Society. 4. doi: 10.1016/j.wss.2023.100143. Full text in Research Archive
• Litleskare, Sigbjørn; Fröhlich, Fred; Flaten, Ole E.; Haile, Amelia; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Calogiuri, Giovanna (2022). Taking real steps in virtual nature: a randomized blinded trial. Virtual Reality. ISSN 1359-4338. 26, p. 1–17. doi: 10.1007/s10055-022-00670-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studies show that green exercise (i.e., physical activity in the presence of nature) can provide the synergistic psychophysiological benefits of both physical exercise and nature exposure. The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which virtual green exercise may extend these benefits to people that are unable to engage in active visits to natural environments, as well as to promote enhanced exercise behavior. After watching a video validated to elicit sadness, participants either performed a treadmill walk while exposed to one of two virtual conditions, which were created using different techniques (360° video or 3D model), or walked on a treadmill while facing a blank wall (control). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in relation to three overarching themes: “Experience,” “Physical engagement” and “Psychophysiological recovery.” Compared to control, greater enjoyment was found in the 3D model, while lower walking speed was found in the 360° video. No significant differences among conditions were found with respect to heart rate, perceived exertion, or changes in blood pressure and affect. The analysis of qualitative data provided further understanding on the participants’ perceptions and experiences. These findings indicate that 3D model-based virtual green exercise can provide some additional benefits compared to indoor exercise, while 360° video-based virtual green exercise may result in lower physical engagement.

• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). The psychology of green entrepreneurship: Founder-driven development of green climate in small-scale companies. Cogent Business & Management. 9(1). doi: 10.1080/23311975.2022.2079245. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores the psychology of green entrepreneurship and the role of the founder in establishing a green climate in organisations. The study examined the process of founding an environmentally sustainable organisational climate in small-scale Norwegian manufacturing companies. Focus group interviews were conducted and questionnaires were distributed in the field; subsequently, the founders participated in an in-depth follow-up interview to explore the evolving elements of the green climate. Thematic analysis revealed that the founders’ environmental focus had different origins, indicative of four motivational categories: opposition, frugality, activism and idealism. The founders played a crucial role in influencing employee green behaviour through both supervision and direct behavioural instructions. Moreover, the participants frequently mentioned the practical aspects of the environmental focus, while values and strategies were generally tacit. The findings indicate that the founders’ motivational position determined the trajectory of the development of a green climate.

• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). Certification dissonance: Contradictions between environmental values and certification scheme requirements in small-scale companies. Journal of Cleaner Production. ISSN 0959-6526. 358(132037). doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132037. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The importance of internalization and employee involvement in the greening of organizations is well-established; however, experiences of environmental certification processes in small-scale companies have largely been overlooked. The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of environmental certification in small-scale companies, and how certification may drive green change in these contexts. The study employed a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. Twenty-eight informants in seven small-scale companies were interviewed, via focus-group interviews with employees and leaders, and in individual interviews with leaders. The main theme that was identified from the reflexive thematic analysis was that certification gave rise to a back-and-forth process between drivers and hindrances, resulting in conflicting emotions and cognitive dissonance—which we denoted certification dissonance. Findings indicate that employees experienced conflicts between their own environmental values and the requirements imposed by the certification scheme. Four main categories of certification dissonance were identified: 1) Company characteristics, 2) the company's relationship with the customers/market, 3) characteristics of the certification scheme, and 4) emotional reactions. The participants struggled to choose between alternatives in different shades of green in what we denoted the ‘eco grey zone’. Systems theory and cognitive dissonance theory provided a theoretical framework for analysis. Based on our findings, we propose a new process model of certification dissonance outcomes. This model illustrates how employees and managers feel trapped within categorical thinking, and experience dissonance between the poles of ‘what is truly green and sustainable’ and ‘being certified’. This study may be of relevance to managers and stakeholders working on environmental sustainability.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Lindheim, Maren Østvold & Hauge, Åshild Lappegard (2022). Terapirommet er ikke et nøytralt rom: om Friluftssykehuset og potensialet i de fysiske omgivelsene for barn og unge i behandling. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. 59(2), p. 90–98. doi: 10.52734/hPFE8529. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background and aim: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how we can use nature cabins and their natural surroundings therapeutically. Method: Published research of relevance for this therapeutic practice is discussed in relation to and informed by experiences from practice, collected through conversations with therapists using the Outdoor care retreat at Rikshospitalet in Norway. Results: The literature review demonstrates how therapy in nature cabins can influence cognitive and emotional processes. All physical environments carry symbolic meanings; therefore, no therapy setting is neutral, and the setting will affect the client and therapist. Place attachment may contribute to create a safe foundation for exploration and self-development. The experiences from practice demonstrate how nature and natural objects are rich in potential for the creative application of symbols in therapy and opens for different stories on growth and development. Conclusions and implications: The evidence-based approach of this article supplies a therapeutic rationale to use cabins in natural surroundings more strategically for positive therapeutic outcomes.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Henriksen, Marin Kristine & Rydstedt, Leif W (2022). Restorative experiences across seasons? Effects of outdoor walking and relaxation exercise during lunch breaks in summer and winter. Landscape Research. ISSN 0142-6397. 47(5), p. 664–678. doi: 10.1080/01426397.2022.2063268. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aimed to explore whether a walk outdoors during a lunch break would promote restorative experiences for a sample of office workers (N = 52), compared to following instructions from an online video of progressive muscle relaxation. Furthermore, the study aimed to compare the impact of a walk during winter to a walk in a summer landscape. Compared to baseline measures, walking in winter and summer were both associated with significantly increased subjective vitality and psychological detachment from work, but there were no significant differences in these specific wellbeing indicators between winter and summer conditions. The indoor muscle relaxation exercise had no effect on psychological detachment from work, but participants who had the relaxation session during summer reported a significant increase in subjective vitality. Active outdoor restoration seems to have a beneficial impact on mental wellbeing, while indoor muscle relaxation may also have some benefits.

• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Rydstedt, Leif W (2021). The Process of Establishing a Green Climate: Face-To-Face Interaction between Leaders and Employees in the Microsystem. The Journal of Values Based Leadership. ISSN 2153-019X. 14(1). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores the processes of establishing a green organizational climate in small-scale companies. Previous studies have primarily focused on factors associated with pro-environmental behaviour in large organizations. The role of a green organizational climate—specifically, the interactional processes involved in the construction of a green climate—has largely been unexplored. Entrepreneurial small companies constitute an ideal arena in which to study the initial phase of greening processes. The present study examined the process of establishing a green organizational climate in seven small-scale Norwegian companies. This article presents a systems model that was developed to analyse how processes at different levels interact in the shaping of the green climate. The design was a longitudinal mixed-methods approach, consisting of focus-group interviews conducted in the field, a questionnaire and follow-up interviews with the leaders. Findings indicate that the construction of a green climate had a strong practise-based approach. The company founders were driven by environmental values; they sparked the initial green measures, influenced the employees—directly and indirectly—and also invited dialogue around and co-construction of the green climate. Frequent face-to-face interactions within the microsystem of the leaders/employees were decisive to the development of the green climate. The present study contributes to the understanding of the process of greening an organization: specifically, how green practice relates to the construction of a shared green climate. Contrary to previous research and theorizing, this study indicates that it is possible to “go green” without a superordinate green strategy.

• Gjermunds, Nikita Madeleine; Brechan, Inge; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Watten, Reidulf G. (2020). Personality traits in musicians. Current Issues in Personality Psychology. ISSN 2353-4192. 8(2), p. 100–107. doi: 10.5114/cipp.2020.97314. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  background Performing music is a complex creative activity which in addition to professional skills requires phantasy, a sense of aesthetics, cognitive involvement, intellectual curiosity, perceptual sensitivity, mental flexibility, but also discipline, motor precision and speed, attention endurance, emotional expression and communication. Many of these characteristics are also reflected in personality traits such as Openness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness and to some degree Neuroticism. Previous research has investigated the differences between personality traits amongst musicians, but there are few studies that compare personality characteristics between musicians and non-musicians.

• Bellini, Diego; Ramaci, Tiziana; Bonaiuto, Marino; Cubico, Serena; Favretto, Giuseppe & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2019). Exploring the influence of working environments' restorative quality on organisational citizenship behaviours. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment. ISSN 1741-8437. 5(1), p. 32–50. doi: 10.1504/IJEWE.2019.097146. Full text in Research Archive
• Gjermunds, Nikita Madeleine; Brechan, Inge; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Watten, Reidulf G. (2019). Musicians: Larks, Owls or Hummingbirds? Journal of Circadian Rhythms. 17(1). doi: 10.5334/JCR.173. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Previous studies have shown an association between morning and evening types and creative thinking. Musicians are creative individuals and the purpose of the current research was to examine whether musicians are significantly more evening types than non-musicians. The total sample included 835 participants (n women = 353; n men = 482), with a mean age of 28.0 years (SD = 10.4). The group of musicians consisted of 600 participants (n women = 168; n men = 432) with a mean age of 29.1 years (SD = 11.2). The group of non-musicians consisted of 233 participants (n women = 184; n men = 49) with a mean age of 25.3 years (SD = 7.4). Participants were recruited via an online forum, and chronotypes were assessed using the self-report Horne & Ostberg’s Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). We found that performance musicians had significantly lower MEQ scores compared to non-performance musicians, and musicians who composed had the lowest MEQ scores across the whole sample. This indicates that musicians, particularly composing musicians had a tendency towards eveningness. These findings are discussed in relation to theories on chronobiology, creativity, and cognitive psychology.

• Rydstedt, Leif W & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2019). Towards an integration of recovery and restoration theories. Heliyon. 5:e02023(7), p. 1–7. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02023. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The attempts to balance between the actual and preferred states of activation or relaxation has been studied from a recovery and a restoration perspective. There are many noticeable parallels between restoration and recovery. Both traditions depart from understanding the need for the individual to regain finite resources that has been used to meet and handle external demands. There is some disagreement of the phenomena, and the terminology may differ as well as the implied meaning of the underlying concepts. Both traditions although consider resource use on one hand, and the processes to return to a state where these resources are replenished, on the other hand. To integrate the recovery and restoration traditions a tentative model is proposed, recognizing that both traditions departs from an interactive process perspective, where the need to replenish resources are consciously perceived.

• Grankvist, Gunne; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Hanss, Daniel (2019). Values and willingness-to-pay for sustainability-certified mobile phones. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. ISSN 1350-4509. 26(7), p. 657–664. doi: 10.1080/13504509.2019.1652212. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigated whether endorsement of personal values is associated with willingness to pay more for mobile phones with an environmental or social sustainability label. Participants were students in Sweden, Norway and Germany. A self-report inventory was used to measure willingness to pay and the importance attached to values of Schwartz’s circular model. In Sweden and Norway, participants were willing to pay, on average, 18% extra for a mobile phone with labels for environmental or social sustainability. In Germany, the corresponding share was 12%. To strive for self-enhancement values, that is, social status and prestige, as well as control and dominance over people and resources, was associated with a lower willingness to pay for mobile phones with labels for environmental or social sustainability in all three countries. Furthermore, women were willing to pay more than men for mobile phones with both kinds of sustainability labels. In Sweden and Norway, participants were, on average, willing to pay more for a mobile phone with a label for social sustainability compared to a mobile phone with a label for environmental sustainability.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2016). Inertia processes and status quo bias in promoting green change. Human Affairs. ISSN 1210-3055. 26(4), p. 400–409. doi: 10.1515/humaff-2016-0034. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2015). Naturomgivelser og emosjonsregulering. In Watten, Reidulf G.; Fostervold, Knut Inge & Volden, Frode (Ed.), Universell utforming og omgivelser Tverrfaglige, kritiske og miljøpsykologiske perspektiver. Norwegian Society of Ergonomics and Human Factors - NEHF. ISSN 9788299574747. p. 245–258. Full text in Research Archive
• Rydstedt, Leif; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Lundh, Monica & Devereux, Jason (2013). The Conceptual Roles of Negative and Positive Affectivity in the Stressor-Strain Relationship. Europe's Journal of Psychology. 9(1), p. 93–103. doi: 10.5964/ejop.v9i1.537. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2013). Exploring the use of nature for emotion regulation: Associations with personality, perceived stress, and restorative outcomes. Nordic Psychology. ISSN 1901-2276. 65(4), p. 306–321. doi: 10.1080/19012276.2013.851445. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Rydstedt, Leif (2013). Active Use of the Natural Environment for Emotion Regulation. Europe's Journal of Psychology. 9(4), p. 798–819. doi: 10.5964/ejop.v9i4.633. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Two studies on the use of nature for emotion regulation were conducted. Study 1 (N = 35) ran over two weeks and was an experimental investigation. Participants in the experimental condition were asked to use a picture of nature actively as environmental stimuli for emotion regulation in their everyday life, while two control groups simply looked at a picture of nature or a picture of balloons each evening. A significant effect of the manipulation was found on positive mood, but the effect was complex with an initial increase and then a decrease. There were no findings on negative mood. Study 2 (N = 473) explored the motivational tendency to seek out nature when the participants were happy or sad. A novel concept (expectancy construct) was introduced to measure the perception of the emotion regulatory potential of different environments. The classical natural environment was rated highest on emotional potential of all environments tested here. Perceiving a higher emotional potential in nature was related to a higher intention to seek out nature when happy or sad. Personality and mood were also related to these concepts. Higher positive mood was related to the intention to seek out nature when happy. Conscientiousness was related to a more positive perception of nature. The studies support the notion that using nature may be an effective strategy for regulating one’s emotions.

• Bridger, Robert S.; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Brasher, Kate (2013). Psychometric properties of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. Ergonomics. ISSN 0014-0139. 56(10), p. 1515–1524. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2013.821172. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) is used in ergonomics research to measure behavioural problems associated with attentiveness and memory in everyday life. CFQ scores have been related to constructs such as accident proneness and outcomes such as human error and psychological strain. The two-year test-retest reliability of the CFQ is reported together with the findings of factor analyses of CFQ data from 535 respondents. Evidence for the predictive and criterion validity and internal reliability of the CFQ is provided. Psychological strain was measured concurrently with CFQ on both testing occasions, two years apart. The test-retest reliability of the summated CFQ score was found to be 0.71, while for the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) strain measure it was 0.32.The relative variance stability was five times greater for the CFQ than the GHQ, indicating that scores on these questionnaires are not covariates. The use of the CFQ as a measure of cognitive control capacity is also discussed.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2012). Er dilemmaforståelsen av miljøvennlig atferd riktig og nyttig? In Fyhri, Aslak; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Nordh, Helena (Ed.), Norsk miljøpsykologi. Akademisk Forlag. ISSN 9788253612836. p. 333–353. Full text in Research Archive
• Kongsvik, Trond Øystein; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Sklet, Snorre (2011). Safety climate and hydrocarbon leaks: An empirical contribution to the leading-lagging indicator discussion. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. ISSN 0950-4230. 24(4), p. 405–411. doi: 10.1016/j.jlp.2011.02.004. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2011). The use of nature for emotion regulation : toward a conceptual framework. Ecopsychology. 3(3), p. 175–185. doi: 10.1089/eco.2011.0006. Full text in Research Archive

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• Fostervold, Knut Inge; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Rydstedt, Leif W & Watten, Reidulf G. (2015). Creating Sustainable Work-environments, Proceedings of NES2015. Norwegian Society of Ergonomics and Human Factors - NEHF. ISBN 9788299574754. 255 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Kindervaag, Eli; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Lindheim, Maren Østvold & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2026). A portal to everyday life: The outdoor care retreat's role in supporting narrative identity processes during pediatric hospitalization. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hospitalization for severe pediatric illness can profoundly disrupt children’s everyday lives. While children usually develop within familiar physical environments that support agency and continuity in identity trajectories, hospitalization introduces institutionalized settings that may evoke uncertainty and altered roles, challenging these developmental processes. This study explores the meaning of the physical environment for narrative identity processes during hospitalization, using the Outdoor Care Retreat (OCR) at Oslo University Hospital as a case. Drawing on narrative identity theory, illness narratives, and research on the role of physical environments in healthcare, we sought to understand how pediatric patients and parents construct opportunities for identity development and repair during hospitalization in relation to the OCR, and what insights these narratives offer into the role of the physical environment for narrative identity processes. Applying a narrative-constructionist approach that emphasizes storytelling as an arena for meaning-making, we conducted a narrative analysis of 10 interviews with pediatric patients and parents. The results illustrate how the OCR functions as a portal to everyday life, supporting reconnection, preservation, and expansion of self in ways that benefit children’s narrative identity development and repair during illness. While grounded in a specific institutional and cultural context, the findings offer analytically transferable insights into how thoughtfully designed, non-institutional spaces within healthcare settings may support narrative identity processes among hospitalized children and families more broadly. Overall, the study highlights the meaningful relationship between narrative identity and the physical environment, as well as the relevance of storytelling in healthcare settings for fostering more compassionate and imaginative perspectives on care.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). Forskningsbaserte tilnærminger for å implementere omstilling til sirkulære verdikjeder. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Rønning, Monica; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Strumse, Einar & Beute, Femke (2024). En miljøvennlig atferds-cocktail. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). Integrating Sustainability: Introducing a New Systems Perspective on Green Change. Full text in Research Archive
• Grønseth, Anne Sigfrid Farstad; Denizou, Karine; Glomdal, Sigrid Elisabeth & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2024). Housing qualities, spaces and dispositions for low-income families: Effects on experiences of wellbeing, home and belonging. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2023). Stressende eller helsefremmende arkitektur? Full text in Research Archive
• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Gjelvik, Ingrid Grimstad (2022). — Sykehusomgivelser bør tilpasses barna, ikke omvendt! Sonja magasin. ISSN 2703-9013. Full text in Research Archive
• Gjelvik, Ingrid Grimstad; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Lindheim, Maren Østvold; Johansen, Emma Holtet & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). Affordances for Agency in a Nature-based Outdoor Activity Program: A Qualitative Study of ‘Nature School’ for Childhood Critical Illness Survivors. Full text in Research Archive
• Konijnenberg, Carolien & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). Winter wonderland: The effects of a snowy winter nature walk on subjective stress and salivary cortisol levels. Full text in Research Archive
• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Lindheim, Maren Østvold (2022). The influence of natural environment in child therapy – analytical generalization of a qualitative case study. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). Vi trenger mer psykologi i møtet med den økologiske krisen. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. 59(10), p. 960–961. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2022). Grønnvasker vi plasten ut i havet? Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Konijnenberg, Carolien; Andreassen, Marita; Andersen, Per Normann; Håkansson, UIrika & Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter (2022). Mobilfrie soner - er det en god idé? Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2021). Treghet i beslutningsprosesser. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2021). Environmental certification: Experiences of contradictions between environmental values and requirements from certification schemes. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2021). Environmental Certification: Contradictions and Dissonance. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2021). Theories in environmental psychology (keynote). Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Foldøy, Sylvelin (2021). Kvifor går det så seint i klimapolitikken? Full text in Research Archive
• Strumse, Einar; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2021). Kan miljøpsykologisk kunnskap frigjøre arkitekter? Full text in Research Archive
• Lindheim, Maren Østvold; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Diseth, Trond H (2020). Friluftssykehuset. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.20.0409. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Naturopplevelser kan virke regulerende på kroppen. Den arkitektoniske utformingen og beliggenheten til Friluftssykehuset ved Oslo universitetssykehus gir et spesielt terapeutisk rom.

• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Henriksen, Marin Kristine; Rønning, Monica; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Tisthammer, Kelsey Kristine (2020). Kan et virus reversere klimaendringene? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En sideeffekt av kampen mot koronaviruset, i form av bedret luftkvalitet, kan bidra til å spare over 100 000 liv per år – om effekten vedvarer, skriver Marin Kristine Henriksen og kolleger ved Høgskolen i Innlandet.

• Calogiuri, Giovanna; Litleskare, Sigbjørn; Haile, Amelia; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Flaten, Ole Einar & Fröhlich, Fred (2020). Taking real steps in virtual nature – Developing and testing a virtual green exercise installation: rationale and protocol. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Immersive Virtual Nature has emerged as a promising tool within clinical as well as health-promotion settings. Combining this technology with physical activity (e.g., walking on a treadmill), thus creating installations for so-called virtual green exercise (VGE), might extend its application to new contexts, such as physical rehabilitation and physical activity promotion, as well as help advancing green exercise research. Unfortunately, developing VGE installations with high restorative value is not an easy task, and challenges such as cyber-sickness may negatively influence the users’ experience. The purpose of the GreenVR project is to i) develop a highly immersive VGE installation and compare two innovative techniques to create VGE settings; and ii) investigate the extent to which VGE can provide psychological, physiological, and behavioural benefits. The VGE installation consisted of a manually driven treadmill connected to a high performance computer and VR-system. One VGE setting was developed as a 360° video, while the other was created as a 3D digital model. Both VGE settings reproduced the same natural environment –a walking path by the river Glomma in Elverum (Norway). A single-blind RCT (ISRCTN ID: 14275608) was designed, with 60 healthy adult volunteers being randomly allocated to one of three conditions: treatment-1 (VGE exposure via 360° video), treatment-2 (VGE exposure via 3D model), control (walking on treadmill without VGE exposure). In each condition, the participants first viewed a brief video-clip designed to elicit negative emotions. Assessment was conducted at three time-points: Baseline (i.e., before the negative emotions elicitation), Pre-exposure (i.e., before the treatment/control), and Post-exposure (i.e., at completion of the treatment/control). Measurements included: presence, cyber sickness, perceived restorativeness of the virtual environments, perceived exertion, blood pressure, heart rate, enjoyment, affect, nature connectedness, and future green exercise intention. Additionally, qualitative information was collected through open-ended questions and by conducting in-depth interviews with a sub-set of participants. The study was approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC ID: 134663). We will present the VGE installation as well as preliminary findings.

• Henriksen, Marin Kristine; Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2020). Reuse of building materials - Networking strategies for social innovation. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Lindheim, Maren Østvold (2020). Developing the therapeutic potential of nature cabins in outpatient and inpatient care. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Hauge, Åshild Lappegard (2020). Alle vil bli kvitt plasten, og ingen vil ha den. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2019). Miljøpsykologiske forskningstema: Presentasjon for klimanettverket. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Løhre, Erik; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Brechan, Inge; Watten, Reidulf G. & Rydstedt, Leif W [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2019). Psykologifagets klimaløsninger. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. 56(10), p. 775–776. Full text in Research Archive
• Henriksen, Marin Kristine; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Rydstedt, Leif W (2019). Internal recovery from work-related stress: The effect of lunch break interventions during winter. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2018). Why greening fails? A systems perspective. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the present paper, we introduce a new systems perspective on organizational greening. Organizations are significant contributors to climate changes, but may also play a key role in the transition towards a sustainable future. This perspective is a contribution to the design of sustainable organizations. We apply Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model as a starting point to develop a new theoretical approach to understand social influence and decision-making in organizations. Bronfenbrenner’s systems perspective is used as a framework to develop a model, placing the individual employee in an organization as the focal point. This model is a whole systems perspective, incorporating employee engagement, long term change and the concerns of multiple stakeholders in advancing a green agenda. We consider the micro-processes within the individual employee and closest co-workers to have a great impact on decision-making and pro-environmental behaviour. We explore the interconnectedness of different systems, in an attempt to understand the complexity of organizational greening. The new systems model enables an analysis of organizational changes at different levels. The goal of this theoretical approach is to shed light on the processes that lead to the greening of organizations. In addition, the model may provide a foundation for understanding why greening efforts may succeed or fail. Keywords: Environmental psychology, organizational psychology, organizational greening, environmental sustainability, systems theory

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2018). Does it matter how you feel? Modelling the relationship between personality, emotional connection with nature, and pro-environmental behaviour. Full text in Research Archive
• Gjærde, Hilde Juven & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2018). Personality traits and the elicitation of positive emotion from nature exposure. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Within environmental psychology, we know something about the positive impacts of nature exposure, but less about any personality-environment interactions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the positive emotional impact of exposure to nature might be influenced by personality traits. The participants (N=318) answered a questionnaire on personality, connectedness to nature, and rated their level of positive emotion before and after viewing a film showing various natural environments. Interestingly, we did not find a main effect of nature exposure, however the results indicate that personality is relevant for the elicitation of positive emotion following exposure to nature. The presentation will be focused on a few preliminary results from this study.

• Johnsen, Christine & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2018). Young people’s perception of information about bears. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The work was part of a master’s project in environmental psychology and aimed to increase the understanding of the effect of behaviour relevant information meetings about bears on how the participants perceived the information. The main purpose of the study is to investigate how this target group is susceptible to different types of information and whether this is influenced by different factors such as attitudes and experience. The results show that the information meetings have an effect on both intervention groups, but those receiving information related to human-carnivore interactions have the largest effects. The effects are shown by a decrease in perceived fear of a potential encounter, increase of social trust in managing authorities and increase in knowledge about bears.

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter (2018). Må maten være pen? Om estetikk og matsvinn. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2017). Motstand mot grønne endringer? Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2017). Brukermedvirkning - erfaringer fra Terassen. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Rønning, Monica (2017). Kildesortering - informasjon og påvirkning. Full text in Research Archive
• Birkvad, Søren & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2017). Hvorfor liker så mange av oss å se skrekkfilm? Forskning.no. ISSN 1891-635X. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Birkvad og Johnsen ble intervjuet av kommunikasjonsrådgiver Sigrun Dancke Skaare

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Daniel, Josdal (2017). Grønt næringsliv. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2017). Food waste and the aesthetic treadmill effect. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2016). Status quo bias and inertia processes in green change efforts. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2016). Miljøpsykologi og hva tilfører dette avfallsbransjen. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Egner, Lars; Bové, Marika M. & Rønning, Monica (2016). Om matestetikk og matsvinn blant barn og unge. En pilotstudie om spisbarhet og kastbarhet. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Watten, Reidulf G. & Strumse, Einar (2016). Associations between personality facets and perceptual preferences for different environments. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Watten, Reidulf G. (2016). Miljøpsykologisk byutvikling på Lillehammer. Full text in Research Archive
• Grankvist, Gunne; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Hanss, Daniel (2016). Values and Willingness-To-Pay for Fairtrade- or Eco Labelled Mobile Phones. Full text in Research Archive
• Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2016). The role of green organizational climate and involvement in creating long-lasting change. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Organizations are among the largest contributors to climate change, and greening organizations are one way of fostering a more sustainable environment. Although some research investigates employee green behavior and organizational greening, much research has taken place at a macro level. The role of management practices and the role of environmental innovators are two factors that are often emphasized in the literature. Some researchers suggest that creating a pro-environmental climate in organizations increase the reach of green initiatives and are a necessary condition for sustaining long term changes. In this study we investigate environmental knowledge, values and attitudes among employees at Lillehammer University College. We explore how an intervention aimed at increasing knowledge about environmental measures influence knowledge and environmental climate, and how interventions aimed at changing employees’ behavior towards more pro-environmental behavior influence pro-environmental climate. The design is a repeated measure survey study. Baseline-data is already collected, and consisted of physical measures of climate footprint, organizational climate, values and attitudes toward pro-environmental behavior as well as knowledge of environmental measures. The next phase in the study is an intervention period, that is still ongoing. The last phase will be to measure changes by a new survey. Preliminary results from the baseline survey show that people have limited knowledge of the environmental measures in the organization. In general employees show positive attitudes towards pro-environmental behavior, but think the leaders has to little focus on environmental strategies. Greening organizations, environmental psychology, organizational change, pro-environmental behavior

• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2015). Om miljøatferd og miljøholdninger. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Brechan, Inge & Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter (2015). Volkswagen-affæren peker på noe viktig: Bedriftenes manglende miljøkultur. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2015). (Pro-) environmental climate. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2015). Developing an environmental organisational climate concept, a few lessons from research on safety climate. Full text in Research Archive
• Konst, Margareth & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2014). Demper julestresset med vakker natur. Forskning.no. ISSN 1891-635X. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2013). Environment-focused Emotion Regulation. Full text in Research Archive
• Rydstedt, Leif; Strumse, Einar; Watten, Reidulf G. & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2013). Recovery and Restoration : The Interface between the Individual and the Environment. Full text in Research Archive
• Lugo, Ricardo & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2013). Computer-based learning and student self-regulatory skills: An investigation to possible counterintuitive strategies. Full text in Research Archive
• Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Rydstedt, Leif (2013). Does living in natural environments reduce sleep problems? Full text in Research Archive
• Grønseth, Anne Sigfrid Farstad; Denizou, Karine; Glomdal, Sigrid Elisabeth & Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs (2023). Utleieboliger med tilvisingsavtale: Hvilken betydning har boligene for livskvaliteten til familier med lav inntekt? SINTEF akademisk forlag. ISSN 9788253618234. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bakgrunn "Alle trenger et trygt hjem" heter den nasjonale strategien for boligsosialt arbeid (Kommunal- og moderniseringsdepartementet, 2020). Her legges det vekt på boligen som en grunnstein for sosialt liv og tilhørighet i lokalsamfunn og nabolag, samt boligens betydning for deltakelse i utdanning, arbeid, familieliv og å sikre best mulig helse. Regjeringen setter fokus på eierskap som beste disposisjonsform. Men leie skal være et godt og trygt alternativ, og da må man styrke leietakeres rettigheter og kommunenes handlingsrom. Mange kommuner arbeider med å finne nye former for boligløsninger for hushold som ikke kommer inn på det ordinære boligmarkedet – verken for å eie eller leie. Ringsaker kommune har siden 2015 prøvd ut en ordning med utleie av boliger med tilvisingsavtaler, hvor kommunen, private utbyggere og Husbanken sammen hjelper vanskeligstilte husholdninger med å skaffe en egnet bolig. Hovedmålet med denne studien er å etablere kunnskap om hvilken innvirkning tilvisings-modellen har for livskvaliteten til lavinntektsfamilier. Kunnskap om familienes egne erfaringer gir innsikt i deres utfordringer og hvordan leie med tilvisingsavtale påvirker autonomi, mestring og tilhørighet. Vi ser fra undersøkelsen at familiene trenger støtte og tiltak for å leie bolig, samtidig som de viser engasjement og handling for å øke livskvaliteten og sikre best mulig trygghet, stabilitet og framtid for barna. I studien av tilvisingsmodellen i Ringsaker bygger vi videre på og sammenlikner med den tidligere studien av Eie først-modellen utført i Kongsvinger kommune (Denizou et al., 2021). I Kongsvinger har kommunen valgt ut familier som med støtte fra NAV kjøper bolig; disse familiene vurderes å ha potensial til å delta i utdanning og arbeid som sikrer familien autonomi og bærekraft. I begge boligprosjektene uttrykker familiene økt livskvalitet, samtidig som vi ser at familiene i Ringsaker (som leier med tilvisingsavtale) i større grad enn familiene i Kongsvinger (som eier bolig) ser ut til å ha utfordringer når det gjelder bostabilitet og til-hørighet i nabolag. Metodisk tilnærming Studien er basert på kvalitativ metode for å utvikle dybdekunnskap og kontekstualisert forståelse av boligleie med tilvisingsavtaler og deres innvirkning på beboernes livskvalitet. Vi har gjennomført befaring i boligområdene, arkitektfaglig vurdering av bo- og boligkvaliteter, intervjuer med seks familier, intervjuer med to kommuneansatte i Ringsaker, et oppstarts-seminar med relevante kommuneansatte i Ringsaker og en workshop med kommuneansatte fra Kongsvinger og Ringsaker kommune, samt samtaler med en utbygger. Resultater Studien viser eksempler på at tilvisingsavtaler gir økt livskvalitet i familiene, men også utfordringer – særlig med tanke på bostabilitet og tilhørighet. De fleste framhever at det er positivt å bo sentralt, med kort vei til barnehage, skole, jobb, butikker, buss og andre fasiliteter. Mange opplever boligstandarden som tilfredsstillende i kraft av til dels mindre trangboddhet, noe som gir anledning til privatliv, skolearbeid og familiefellesskap ved aktiviteter og mål-tider, og muligheter for besøk av venner. Det framheves som positivt å bo i leilighet med mer "moderne" boligutforming og en følelse av å bo "slik andre folk bor". Flere forteller om en følelse av å være mindre stigmatisert og marginalisert ved at de nå bor i "ordinære nabolag". Samtidig kommer det fram at boligkvaliteten ikke alltid er tilstrekkelig. Det kan gjelde dører som er skjeve, kjøkkenskuffer som ikke lar seg lukke, og uheldige planløsninger. Lite attraktive utearealer, støy i nærområder o.l. bidrar til redusert bokvalitet i noen av bolig-prosjektene. Flere familier opplever klager og vansker i nabolaget, og føler seg utpekt som "upassende", "utlendinger" og "mindreverdige" naboer. Flere familier viser til at det å leie med tilvisingsavtale er dyrere enn å leie kommunale boliger, noe som har bidratt til at de planlegger å flytte for å kunne spare penger (eventuelt til å kjøpe selveid bolig). Kommuneansatte bekrefter at flere av familiene trenger oppfølging med hensyn til å disponere boligen og forholde seg til nabolaget. Samtidig er det ikke ønskelig å synliggjøre at familiene mottar kommunal støtte og oppfølging, slik at de i størst mulig grad opptrer og oppfattes som ordinære leietakere. Det kan se ut til at familiene i tilvisingsboliger kan oppleve en "catch-22"-situasjon: De kan enten velge å bli boende i en ny tilvisingsbolig med til dels mangelfulle bolig- og bokvaliteter eller bytte til kommunal bolig, som kan oppfattes som ett skritt tilbake i boligkarrieren, men med ambisjon om sparing for å kjøpe selveid bolig. Ved sammenlikning av tilvisingsmodellen i Ringsaker og Eie først-modellen i Kongsvinger er det rimelig å spørre seg om kanskje flere av familiene som har tilvising i Ringsaker, ville vært egnet for Eie først-modellen om de hadde bodd i Kongsvinger. Samtidig framhever vi at det ikke ser ut til at det er eie i seg selv eller disposisjonsformen som er sentral, men boligens beliggenhet og de boligkvaliteter som assosieres med selveie som er drivere for familienes opplevelse av økt deltakelse, mestring, livskvalitet og tilhørighet. Familier som bor med tilvising utgjør en stor og kompleks kategori, noe som gjør det vanskelig å fastslå motiver for å flytte. Blant familiene i Ringsaker og Kongsvinger er det en stor andel med flyktningbakgrunn. Det kan være grunn til å spørre seg om kommuneansatte vurderer flyktningfamiliers mulighet til å dra nytte av tilvising eller eie først som relativt stor sammen-liknet med mange andre familier med lav inntekt. Da gjenstår spørsmålet om hva slags boligkvaliteter og disposisjonsformer som kan virke positivt på deltakelse, mestring, tilhørig-het og livskvalitet for de familiene som strever mest. Implikasjoner for praksis De ansatte i kommunen ønsker enklere og rimeligere boliger, med holdbare materialer og overflater som tåler å bli brukt, og med en leie som tillater at beboerne blir boende. En utfordring er å fortsatt kunne oppnå en tilfredsstillende bolig- og bokvalitet. Det fordrer profesjonalitet ikke bare hos utbygger, men også fra kommunens side. Her vil kommunens rolle som bestiller være sentral, og kommuneansattes dialog med utbyggere bør styrkes for å påvirke bolig- og bokvalitet, gjerne gjennom økt samspill med Husbanken. Involvering av beboerne i utviklingen av et inkluderende bomiljø bør være en oppgave som utleier og kommunen sammen tar fatt på. Å styrke muligheter for deltakelse og engasjement i nabolag og nærområde kan bidra til å skape tilhørighet. Leie med tilvisingsavtaler kan se ut til å være en mindre ressurskrevende form for boligstøtte enn å arbeide med Eie først-modellen. Det kan virke naturlig at det er mer krevende å følge opp familier som går inn i en eie-situasjon heller enn leie-situasjon. Samtidig ser vi i tilvisings-prosjektet at det trengs en del oppfølging som kanskje ikke er helt forutsett og iberegnet, og som gjerne skal skje uten for mye synlig involvering for nabolag og utenforstående. Dette kan være en vanskelig balansegang for kommuneansatte. Vi ser også at det kan oppstå utilsiktet ressursbruk ved oppfølging av familier i tilvisingsboliger, når vi ser at mange flytter og trenger videre assistanse, noe som bør få implikasjoner for praksis ved tilvisingsavtaler. Alt i alt kommer det fram at kommunen trenger et bredt spekter av boligtilbud. Utleieboliger med tilvisingsavtale er et godt og viktig supplement til de kommunale boligene, men kom-munen trenger også flere kommunale boliger, noe som vil gi større fleksibilitet til å hjelpe de med størst utfordringer og sykdom. Videre forskning Resultatene i denne studien kan gi et godt grunnlag for å utvikle nasjonale surveyundersøkelser om leie eller eie for lavinntektsfamilier. Det vil være nyttig for de involverte partene og Hus banken å etablere mer kunnskap om hvordan kommunen jobber både på plannivå og prosjektnivå. Dette gjelder for eksempel: − Kommunens rolle som bestiller av boliger med tilvisingsavtaler. Denne rollen er sentral for hvor godt de nye boligene blir tilpasset de lokale boligsosiale behovene og beboernes varierte behov. Rollen er fortsatt i støpeskjeen, og kommunenes handlingsrom bør studeres videre. − Kommunens rolle som planlegger. Et vanskelig felt er å forutse hva beboermålgruppa og kommunene vil trenge av boliger om 20 år, og hva som vil skje med tilvisingsboligene når avtalen med utleier går ut. Hvorvidt tilvisingsavtaler kan kombineres med andre bolig-virkemidler, for eksempel leie-til-eie-ordning, vil blant annet være relevant å undersøke i den forbindelse. Selv om denne studien antyder at mange flytter fra leie med tilvisingsavtaler på grunn av høy leiepris samt vanskeligheter med bomiljøet, vet vi fortsatt lite om hvor mye og hvorfor folk flytter fra boliger med tilvisingsavtale. Dette er et felt som bør undersøkes videre. Andre relevante forskningstemaer vil være hvorvidt tilvisingsavtaler kan kombineres med andre boligvirkemidler, for eksempel leie-til-eie-ordning.

• Watten, Reidulf G.; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter; Rønning, Monica; Sylvelin, Foldøy & Conn, Ashley [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). Terassen og Bruparken - Fremtidig bruk og muligheter. Lillehammer Kommune. Full text in Research Archive
• Watten, Reidulf G.; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs & Flagstad, Ingeborg Olsdatter (2016). Terassen og Bruparken. Framtidig bruk og muligheter. Lillehammer Kommune. Full text in Research Archive

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