Ecopsychology
Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the
natural world through ecological and psychological principles. The field seeks to develop and understand ways of
expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the natural world,
thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and
remedying alienation from nature. Theodore Roszak is credited with coining the term in his 1992 book, The Voice of the Earth. He later expanded the idea in the 1995 anthology Ecopsychology with co-editors Mary Gomes and Allen Kanner
According to Davis
(2010), ecopsychology is founded on three main insights:
1) humans and
nature have a deeply bonded relationship;
2) when
humans and nature become dissociated with each other, the result is suffering
for both the environment and people;
3) recognizing the
relationship between people and nature
will lead to healing for both.
Importance
of Ecopsychology
·
Ecopsychology is an area of study dedicated to an
examination of the emotional bonds that exist between humans and the natural
world.
·
It seeks to
understand the complexity of these bonds, and suggests paths to healing the
weakened connections embedded in the human-nature relationship.
·
Ecopsychology has
the potential to bring concepts of ecology into the field of psychology and to
develop a psychological perspective within the environmental movement
·
Bringing a
psychological approach to environmental activism may result in greater
effectiveness. Specifically, psychology can be applied to motivate individuals
in taking actions that benefit the environment.
·
Psychology can be
used to discourage individuals from taking actions that adversely impact the
environment
The Nine Principles of
Ecopsychology,
1. The Earth is a living system. Human beings are
fundamentally interconnected with the Earth and with all life. Neither the
Earth’s problems nor humanity’s problems can be resolved without taking full account of this interconnection.
2. Ecopsychology seeks to heal the alienation between
person and planet, and establish a healthy relationship between the two. A key
element of this is recognizing that the needs of the person are the same as the
needs of the planet. The rights of the person are the same as the rights of the
planet.
3. Rather than viewing the ecological dilemma as a crisis
“out there” in our physical environment, ecopsychology recognizes that human
consciousness is intricately involved in creating and maintaining the
ecological crisis.
4. Ecopsychology calls for a new
cosmology that embraces not only
scientific models and understandings, but also spiritual teachings, ancient
wisdom, and the non-Western knowledge of indigenous cultures.
5. Ecopsychology calls for a profound revisioning of
mental health and human consciousness. Today’s dominant models of human
consciousness define the human being as an isolated and fragmented entity
living in a mechanical purposeless universe. This model of human reality is a
product of the old cosmology: the scientific industrial era that now weighs
heavily on the planet.
6. The drive to live in harmony with the natural world
and its rhythms is primal innate. Suppression of that drive is just as
disorienting and damaging as suppression of other human needs.
7. The very notion of sanity must be redefined to include our planetary home.
Today’s psychology and psychotherapy “stop at the city limits, as if the soul
might be saved while the biosphere crumbles” (Roszak). A healthy mature human
being naturally develops an ethical responsibility for the Earth.
8. Ecopsychology utilizes a pluralistic epistemology and
methodology, drawing on mythological and archetypal understandings, intuitive
and emotional modalities, scientific approaches, and spiritual practices.
9. Ecopsychology embraces the goals of gender equity
(equality between women and men; masculine and feminine), racial equity
(equality for non-white races), and “cultural justice” (honoring and learning
from non-Western cultures and indigenous peoples of the world).
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