Testing the relationships between conflict, specialization, and place attachment among members of the American Alpine Club

Conflict in outdoor recreation has been widely studied for over 50 years. However, its relationship to other dominant constructs within outdoor recreation remains limited. This study examined the relationships between conflict, specialization, and place attachment among North American rock climbers from the American Alpine Club. This analysis tested relationships proposed by Jacob and Schreyer (1980) and Ditton, Loomis, and Choi (1992). Specialization was expected to predict place attachment and conflict. Place attachment was expected to predict conflict. Additionally, the relationship between frequency of viewing problem behaviors and rating them as a problem was tested. No dimension of specialization or place attachment showed a relationship with conflict in the model. The strongest predictor of conflict was the frequency of viewing problem behaviors. Management implications: ● The primary predictor of perceiving conflict with other climbers was experiencing problematic behaviors frequently.● Efforts to decrease overall conflict should focus on determining which types of behaviors are occurring and managing for those behaviors directly.● Neither attachment to the resource nor specialization had a relationship with conflict, if a user did not experience problematic behaviors frequently they were unlikely to report conflict.● As expected, the more committed a user was to their sport, the more they were attached to their primary climbing areas.● Managers should make sure they work with highly committed users, as they will likely be valuable allies.