Ecopsychology is an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

and

transdisciplinarity Transdisciplinarity connotes a research strategy that crosses many disciplinary boundaries to create a holistic approach. It applies to research efforts focused on problems that cross the boundaries of two or more disciplines, such as research ...

field that focuses on the synthesis of

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

and

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

and the promotion of

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

. It is distinguished from conventional psychology as it focuses on studying the emotional bond between humans and the Earth. Instead of examining personal pain solely in the context of individual or family

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

, it is analyzed in its wider connection to the more than human world. A central premise is that while the mind is shaped by the modern world, its underlying structure was created in a natural non-human environment. Ecopsychology seeks to expand and remedy the emotional connection between humans and nature, treating people psychologically by bringing them spiritually closer to

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

History

Origins of ecopsychology

Sigmund Freud

In his 1929 book ''

Civilization and Its Discontents ''Civilization and Its Discontents'' is a book by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. It was written in 1929 and first published in German in 1930 as ''Das Unbehagen in der Kultur'' ("The Uneasiness in Civilization"). Exploring what Fre ...

'' ''("Das Unbehagen in der Kultur"),''

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts i ...

discussed the basic tensions between

civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...

and the individual. He recognized the interconnection between the internal world of the

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

and the external world of the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, stating:

Robert Greenway

Influenced by the philosophies of noted ecologists

Walles T. Edmondson Walles Thomas Edmondson (April 24, 1916 – January 10, 2000), also known as "Tommy" amongst his peers, was a prominent professor of zoology at the University of Washington. Edmondson was also leading American limnoecologist and writer, whose rese ...

and Loren Eiseley, Robert Greenway began researching and developing a concept that he described as "a marriage" between psychology and ecology in the early 1960s. He theorized that "the mind is nature, and nature, the mind," and called its study ''psychoecology''. Greenway published his first essay on the topic at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

in 1963. In 1969, he began teaching the subject at

Sonoma State University Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County, California, US. It is one of the smallest members of the California State University (CSU) system. Sonoma State offers 92 Bachelor's ...

. One of Greenway's students founded a psychoecology study group at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

, which was joined by Theodore Roszak in the 1990s. In the 1995 book ''Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind'', Greenway wrote:

Theodore Roszak

Theodore Roszak is credited with coining the term "ecopsychology" in his 1992 book ''The Voice of the Earth'', although a group of psychologists and environmentalists, including Mary Gomes and Allen Kanner, were independently using the term at the same time. Roszak, Gomes and Kanner later expanded the idea in the 1995 anthology ''Ecopsychology''. Two other books were especially formative, Paul Shepard's 1982 volume, ''Nature and Madness'', which explored the effect that our diminishing engagement with nature had upon psychological development, and David Abram's 1996 ''The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World''. The latter was one of the first books to bring

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...

fully to bear on ecological issues, looking closely at the cosmo-vision (or the

traditional ecological knowledge Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources. As a field of study in Northern American anthropology, TEK refers to "a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice, evolving by ...

systems) of diverse indigenous, oral cultures, and analyzing the curious effect that the advent of formal writing systems, like the phonetic alphabet, has had upon the human experience of the more-than-human natural world. Roszak mentions the

biophilia hypothesis The biophilia hypothesis (also called BET) suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, ''Biophilia'' (1984). He d ...

of biologist E.O. Wilson; that humans have an instinct to emotionally connect with nature.

Beliefs

Roszak states that an individual's connection to nature can improve their interpersonal relationships and emotional wellbeing. An integral part of this practice is treating patients outdoors. According to ecopsychology, humans are meant to take walks in parks. It considers the

psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

of non-humans to be relevant. It examines why people continue environmentally damaging behaviour, and motivates them to adopt

Fundamental principles

According to Roszak, some of the principles of ecopsychology are: * "There is a synergistic interplay between planetary and personal well-being." * "The core of the mind is the ecological unconscious." * "The goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious." * "The contents of the ecological unconscious represent ... the living record of evolution." * "The crucial stage of development is the life of the child." * "The ecological ego matures toward a sense of ethical responsibility with the planet." * "Whatever contributes to small scale social forms and personal empowerment nourish the ecological ego."

References

External links

Viridis Graduate Institute

International Community for Ecopsychology
{{Environmental social science Deep ecology Interdisciplinary branches of psychology Environmental social science Articles lacking sources from November 2007 Biophilia hypothesis de:Umweltpsychologie ku:Psîkolojiya devedorê