Ecopsychology as an International Journal

A Dialog between Renee Lertzman and Kari Norgaard

We begin with a dialog between two of the most interesting environmental communication theorists working today, Renee Lertzman and Kari Norgaard. Both the projects of Lertzman, a visiting fellow at Portland State University, and of Norgaard, an associate professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at Whitman College, target the complex emotional, psychological, and social underpinnings of denial and apathy in response to the unfolding impacts of global climate change. In their candid discussion, the two colleagues discuss what they have learned in their researches in Norway and in the Great Lakes region of the United States, the practical import of their findings for individuals and policy makers, and their human reactions to these global issues. Norgaard describes how she first came to focus her sociology research on how people grapple with disturbing information about the natural environment. Her key insight concerns the social production of denial, that is, apparent denial is not simply a function of not caring or being crass but a result of how emotions like fear, helplessness, and guilt are expressed in a given location and culture. In a similar fashion, Lertzman's writings on the “myth of apathy” illuminate the counterintuitive connection between high levels of concern and lack of engagement. The speakers compare and contrast how these issues are explored from a broader sociological perspective and at the level of individual psychology.

Environmentalism and Community

Environmental issues affect human communities and in that sense are social issues. In qualitative, social psychological research that echoes the approach of Norgaard and Lertzman, authors Benjamin Marcus and Allan Omoto from the Claremont Graduate University School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences and Patricia Winter of the USDA Forest Service used a conceptual content mapping procedure (3CM) to create cognitive “maps” of individuals' ideas about the form and functions of their community, and how this might interact with their ethnicity and in turn influence social responsibility and environmental protection. In “Environmentalism and community: Connections and implications for social action,” they describe how communities might rally around a shared approach to conservation or environmental protection. They also provide examples of unique individual stories that illustrate how environmentally friendly behavior may flow from any one of a range of social motivations. For example, eco-friendly actions such as picking up litter might be seen as a social responsibility rather than environmentalism, advocacy for protection of a community's wild lands may be motivated by an identity as an outdoor recreationist, and support for environmental protections may flow from concerns for social justice and affiliation with one's ethnic community.

Media Images and Mental Representations of Women and Nature

In “Evidence for an association between women and nature: An analysis of media images and mental representations,” Catherine Reynolds and Nick Haslam of the University of Melbourne School of Behavioural Science present evidence of woman–nature associations in everyday media representations and in laypeople's beliefs. Reynolds and Haslam describe the content analysis of images sampled from two popular Internet search engines as well as qualitative interviews with undergraduates. Results support and extend previous findings on associations between women, femininity, and natural settings. The authors discuss the complex implications of study results that natural settings were viewed more positively when associated with women.

An Eco-Existential Understanding of Time and Psychological Defenses

In her theoretical study, “An eco-existential understanding of time and psychological defenses: Threats to the environment and implications for psychotherapy,” Mariska Pienaar from the University of Stellenbosch Centre for Student Counseling and Development in Capetown, South Africa, synthesizes ideas from ecopsychology (e.g., psychological processes that promote affiliation or alienation from the natural world) and existential psychology (e.g., maintaining a sense of meaning in the face of the transitory nature of human life). She explores how the awareness of time evoked by experiences of natural spaces promotes an awareness of being and mortality and in turn a search for life meaning. Pienaar then explores how psychological defenses against anxiety regarding death may be projected on natural phenomena and influence environmentally harmful attitudes and behaviors. She follows with suggestions to address these existential concerns in the context of various modalities of counseling and psychotherapy including promotion of an enhanced sense of life meaning and reevaluation of life priorities.

A Phenomenological Self-Inquiry into Ecological Consciousness

Australian Peter White has been a planning professional and local environmental and community activist in Sydney, Australia, since the 1980s. His writing in “A phenomenological self-inquiry into ecological consciousness” stems from a recent doctoral dissertation on the same theme. White describes results of a pilot study of a self-facilitated mindfulness-based perception exercise designed to heighten a phenomenological or lived-experience of ecological connectedness in natural settings. White's work begins with the assumption that dominant western consciousness lacks empathic connection and identification with nonhuman nature, and he builds on research that has demonstrated that a sense of connectedness with nature significantly influences environmental concern and environmentally significant behavior. Mindful-Affective-Perception-in-Nature exercises consist of sequential activities, such as place familiarization, meditation, sound mapping, and mindfulness and awareness activities. Results of the Mindful-Affective-Perception-in-Nature pilot include meaningful experiences in 16 thematic categories (e.g., reverence, humility, sense of place, personal vulnerability, and appreciation of nonhuman otherness); a spectrum of consciousness states ranging from self-based to transcendent or ego-less experiences; and potential benefits including reduced stress and increased calm, sense of meaning, and mental wellbeing.

Branching Out: The Impact of a Mental Health Ecotherapy Program

In their ecotherapy outcome study, Neil Wilson from the UK National Health Service and a team of researchers from the Glasgow Centre of Population Health, National Health Service Greater Glasgow & Clyde, the University of Strathclyde, and Forestry Commission Scotland describe results of the Branching Out program, a 12-week, group-based ecotherapy program designed for individuals receiving outpatient or preventive services. Interventions include conservation field activities, outdoor skills, and environmental art. Using measures such as the Short Form-2 Health Survey and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, and the Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaire, Wilson and colleagues provide a model of systematic outcomes assessment for mental health programs using an outdoor component. Results of this study indicated that attendance in the Branching Out program by the study group was not associated with significant effects on mental wellbeing or general health and was associated with significant improved physical activity levels. The investigators discussed their outcomes in terms of program duration, completion rates, intergenerational and cross-gender appeal, the effects of activities of referring mental health services, and the need for ongoing and follow-up studies.

Positive Emotions and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

Portland, Oregon, resident David Carter is one of the first graduates of the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center who have focused their research on environmental issues. In his editorial, “The role of positive emotions in fostering environmentally responsible behaviors,” Carter describes his experiences and makes a case for the role of cultivated positive emotions, such as awe, hope, and love, in promoting environmentally responsible behaviors. Carter references the Broaden and Build theory of positive emotions developed by Barbara Frederickson of University of North Carolina as well as research exploring own-race bias in face recognition and the behavioral and wellbeing outcomes associated with intrinsic versus extrinsic life goals.

Review of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Linda Buzzell of the International Association for Ecotherapy reviews environmentalist and global climate change advocate Bill McKibben's recent work, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. In McKibben's latest work, he confronts the practical and psychological ramifications of living on a changed planet. Buzzell highlights McKibben's myth dispelling (i.e., that global climate change will primary impact future versus current generations) and the relevance of his work for ecopsychology theory and practice. Buzzell cautions that McKibben “pulls no punches” in Eaarth and points to kindred works that may offer more hope or solace than McKibben's provocative text.

Call for Papers: The Ecopsychology Hypothesis

As we move forward into our third year, look for calls for papers for upcoming special issues of Ecopsychology focusing on empirical findings associated with ecopsychology theory and practice. Contributors from a range of perspectives will be invited to

As always, I am thankful for our readers' attention and support; for the collective efforts of our contributors, reviewers, publisher, and subscribers; and for the ecosystem services that make this worldwide electronic dialog possible. Be well.