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Ecopsychology
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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. Two other books were especially formative for
the field, Paul Shepard's 1982 volume, "Nature and Madness", which explored
the effect that our ever-diminishing engagement with wild nature had upon
human psychological development, and philosopher David Abram's The Spell
of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World,
published in 1996. The latter was the first widely-read book to bring
phenomenology to bear on ecological and ecopsychological issues, examining
in detail the earthly dimensions of sensory experience, and disclosing the
historical effect of formal writing systems upon the human experience of
nature's agency, voice, and interiority.
A central premise of ecopsychology is that while today the human mind is
affected and shaped by the modern social world, its deep structure is inevitably
adapted to, and informed by, the more-than-human natural environment in
which it evolved. According to the biophilia hypothesis of biologist E.O.
Wilson, human beings have an innate instinct to connect emotionally with
nature, particularly the aspects of nature that recall what evolutionary
psychologists have termed the environment of evolutionary adaptiveness, the
natural conditions that the human species evolved to inhabit.
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The field of ecopsychology extends beyond the conventional purview of
psychology, which had traditionally considered the psyche to be a matter of
relevance to humans alone. Ecopsychology examines why people continue
environmentally damaging behaviour, and to develop methods of positive
motivation for adopting sustainable practices. Evidence suggests that many
environmentally damaging behaviours are addictive at some level, and thus are
more effectively addressed through positive emotional fulfillment rather than by
inflicting shame. Other names used to refer to ecopsychology include depth
ecology,
Gaia
psychology,
psychoecology,
ecotherapy,
environmental
psychology, green psychology, transpersonal ecology, global therapy, green
therapy, Earth-centered therapy, reearthing, nature-based psychotherapy,
shamanic counselling, ecosophy and sylvan therapy.
Practical benefits
Certain researchers propose that an individual's connection to nature can
improve their interpersonal relationships and emotional wellbeing. An integral
part of this practice is to remove psychotherapy, and the individual, from the
interior of office buildings and homes and place them outdoors. According to
the precepts of ecopsychology, a walk in the woods or a city park is refreshing
because it is what humans evolved to do. Psychologists such as Roger Ulrich,
Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, Frances Kuo and others have studied the beneficial
effects of inhabiting natural settings and of looking at pictures of landscapes on
the human psyche. Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving our
Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder discusses in detail how the exposure of
children to nature can assist in treating mental disorders, including attention
deficit disorder.
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Another premise of ecopsychology is that steps taken to accept and notice
nature can sharpen the senses and help people cultivate new skills. For example,
the ability to track and navigate through a wilderness is improved if nature is
noticed and accepted rather than feared. Similarly, ecopsychology proposes that
sailors who appreciate the sea gain a keen sense for breeze directions.
Reasons to embrace nature
Ecopsychology explores how to develop emotional bonds with nature. It
considers this to be worthwhile because when nature is explored and viewed
without judgement, it gives the sensations of harmony, balance, timelessness
and stability. Ecopsychology largely rejects reductionist views of nature that
focus upon rudimentary building blocks such as genes, and that describe nature
as selfish and a struggle to survive. Ecopsychology considers that there has been
insufficient scientific description and exploration of nature, in terms of
wildness, parsimony, spirituality and emotional ties. For example, parsimony is
the best way to produce an evolutionary tree of the species (cladistics),
suggesting that parsimonious adaptations are selected. Yet today, the brain is
often seen as complicated and governed by inherited mind modules, rather than
being a simple organ that looks for parsimony within the influences of its
surroundings, resulting in the compaction in minds of a great diversity of
concepts.
Cultures that embrace nature
In its exploration of how to bond with nature, ecopsychology is interested in the
examples provided by a wide variety of ancient and modern cultures that have
histories of embracing nature. Examples include aboriginal, pagan, Buddhist,
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and Hindu cultures, as well as shamanism and the more recent hesychast
tradition. Of interest is how identity becomes entwined with nature, so that loss
of those sacred places is far more devastating to indigenous people than often
understood. Native American stories, in particular, illustrate a socially
recognized sense of community between humans and the natural landscape. The
Māori philosophy, and practice of kaitiakitanga, or eco-guardianship, and
preservation emphasizes a deep connect between humans, and their
environment. Eastern Orthodox monks led a contemplative life deeply
intertwined with nature. Other lessons include how to live sustainably within an
environment and the self-sacrifices made to tolerate natural limits, such as
population control or a nomadic existence that allows the environment to
regenerate. Moreover, certain indigenous cultures have developed methods of
psychotherapy involving the presence of trees, rivers, and astronomical bodies.
Pain and delusions without nature
Ecopsychologists have begun detecting unspoken grief within individuals, an
escalation of pain and despair, felt in response to widespread environmental
destruction. The field of ecopsychology intends to illustrate how environmental
disconnection functions as an aspect of existing pathologies, without creating a
new category. The contention is that if a culture is disconnected from nature,
then various aspects of an individual's life will be negatively impacted. It also
believes that that without the influence of nature, humans are prone to a variety
of delusions, and that to some degree life in the wild forms the basis for human
sanity and optimal psychological development. The topic is explored in detail
Paul Shepard's book Nature and Madness. It is also proposed that separation
from outdoor contact causes a loss of sensory and information-processing
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ability that was developed over the course of human evolution, which was spent
in direct reciprocity with the environment.
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