title: The mobile hermit and the city: considering links between places, objects, and identities in social psychological research on homelessness.
abstract: This article explores aspects of a homeless man's everyday life and his use of material objects to maintain a sense of place in the city. We are interested in the complex functions of walking, listening and reading as social practices central to how this man forges a life as a mobile hermit across physical and imagined locales. This highlights connections between physical place, use of material objects, imagination, and sense of self. Our analysis illustrates the value of paying attention to geographical locations and objects in social psychological research on homelessness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. dhdgetts@waikato.ac.nz
authors.forename: Darrin J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hodgetts
authors.forename: Ottilie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stolte
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Radley
authors.forename: Shiloh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groot
authors.forename: Linda Waimarie
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Nikora
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D002755:Choice Behavior; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009520:New Zealand; D009769:Object Attachment; D010550:Personal Space; D011593:Psychology, Social; D011932:Reading; D012106:Research; D012449:Safety; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D012934:Social Isolation; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013800:Theft / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology