At the group level, attachment is comprised of the symbolic
meanings of a place that are shared among members (Low, 1992).
Group-framed place attachment has been examined in different
cultures, genders, and religions. For example, attachment has
been described as a community process in which groups become
attached to areas wherein they may practice, and thus preserve,
their cultures (e.g., Fried, 1963; Gans, 1962; Michelson, 1976).
Culture links members to place through shared historical experiences,
values, and symbols. In a study of landscape perception,
forests were perceived to be more threatening for Hispanic
Americans, African Americans, and women, and less threatening
for European Americans and men (Virden & Walker, 1999). The
authors speculate that different meanings arise from historical
events, religion, and other experiences common to group
members, and that these meanings are transmitted to subsequent
generations