Conflict in Clayoquot Sound: Using Thematic Content Analysis to Understand Psychological Aspects of Environmental Controversy LORAINE LAVALLEE and PETER SUEDFELD, University of British Columbia Abstract The present study examined the information campaigns of groups involved in the Clayoquot land-use debate for the presence of motivational and cognitive factors that may undermine the quality of forest land-use discussions. Integrative complexity, motive imagery (need for achieve- ment, affiliation, and power) and value pluralism were measured in the publicity campaigns of 7 groups (3 envi- ronmentalist, a forest industry advocacy group, a forest company, the B.C. government, and a government-ap- pointed forestry advisory panel). The campaigns were generally characterized by low levels of integrative com- plexity and of affiliation and achievement imagery, and high levels of power imagery. The complexity of the combined texts of the government and the advisory panel (M = 1.96) were significantly higher in integrative com- plexity (p < .05) than those of the environmental groups (M = 1.49). The complexity score of the forest industry advocates fell between those of the above groups (M = 1.80), and did not differ significantly from either. The values endorsed by the environmental and forest industry advocacy groups were non-overlapping, whereas the government/advisory texts contained values that over- lapped with those of both advocacy groups, and had significantly (p = .02) higher levels of achievement imag- ery. Resume La presente etude a permis d'examiner les campagnes d'informations des groupes associes au debat sur l'utilisation du sol de Clayoquot pour determiner la pre- sence de facteurs motivants et determinants qui pour- raient miner la qualite des discussions sur l'utilisation du sol de la foret. La complexite integrative, l'imagerie moti- vationnelle (le besoin de reussite, d'affiliation et de pou- voir) et le pluralisme des valeurs ont ete mesures dans les campagnes publicitaires de 7 groupes (3 groupes ecolo- gistes, un groupe d'intervention de l'industrie forestiere, une entreprise forestiere, le gouvernement de la Colombie-Britannique et un comite consultant sur la foresterie nomme par le gouvernement). Les campagnes se caracterisaient generalement par de faibles niveaux de complexite integrative et d'imagerie de l'affiliation et de la reussite, et par des niveaux eleves d'imagerie du pou- voir. La complexite integrative des textes du gouverne- ment et du comite consultatif (M = 1,96) etait beaucoup plus elevee (p = < 0,05) que celle des groupes ecologistes (M = 1,49). Le taux de complexite du groupe d'inter- vention de l'industrie forestiere se situait entre les deux (M = 1,80) et ne se distinguait pas de facon significative ni de l'un ni de l'autre. Les valeurs vehiculees par les grou- pes ecologistes et le groupe d'intervention de l'industrie forestiere ne se chevauchaient pas, tandis que les textes du gouvernement et ceux du comite consultatif vehicu- Iaient des valeurs qui recoupaient celles des deux grou- pes d'intervention et contenaient un niveau beaucoup plus eleve (p = 0,02) d'imagerie de reussite. THE CLAYOQUOT DISPUTE On April 13,1993, the government of British Columbia released a land-use plan for Clayoquot Sound, an area located on the west coast of Vancouver Island (see Fig. 1), which includes one of the largest tracts of temperate rainforest remaining in the world. As the area is one of British Columbia's most popular tourist destinations, with over 700,000 visitors annually, unusual public prominence surrounded the government's land-use decision. The Clayoquot plan designated 33% of the region as protected from logging, 45% for commercial timber use and 17% as special management (primarily narrow buffer zones between logging areas and the coastline, in which limited logging is permitted with special precautions). This decision sparked one of the largest environmental protests in Canada. Disputes over land use arise from conflicting interests and values associated with a particular area. Because of the wide range of values involved, Clayoquot Sound provides perhaps the quintessential example of land-use conflicts. The coastal temperate rainforests of Clayoquot Sound are aesthetically magnificent and biologically diverse: home to numerous animal and plant species, Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 1997,29:3,194-209