Intro Flashcards
What is social responsibility?
ethical or ideological theory that an entity whether it is a government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility to society
Real world example (O’Connor et al. (2020)
Pressing need is to research the negative biopsychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate immediate and longer-term recovery, not only in relation to mental health
Also in relation to behaviour change and adherence, work, education, children and families, physical health and the brain, and social cohesion and connectedness.
Climate change
A whole ‘science’: climate science is the study of regional and global climate as a system
Driven by a need to understand how our climate is changing
High CO2 affecting global temperatures
Dangerous changes to climate systems
- Melting sea ice
- Sea level rise
- North Atlantic drift shutdown
- Tropical forest fires
- Emissions from wetlands
- Extreme temperatures
Impacts on human and natural systems
- Coasts and oceans
- Ecosystems and biodiversity
- Fresh water
- Agriculture and food security
- Human health
Bangladesh experiencing this as there are floods, (Moniruzzaman, 2012)
Environmentalism
A social movement that seeks to influence the political process by lobbying, activism, and education to protect resources and ecosystems
Environmental protection through sustainability
Environmentalism in 1970s:
- Emergence of nature-related topics - e.g., how spending time in nature restores people’s ability to pay attention and cope with stress (Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008; Gifford, 2014)
- Concerns about pollution
Environmentalism in 1990s
Ecopsychologists
* (some) clinicians incorporated ecopsychological therapies into their practices
* Argued that modern living erodes people’s connection to nature, leaving them developmentally deprived and psychologically distressed (Roszak, 1992; Roszak, Gomes, & Kanner, 1995)
Conservation Psychology (Clayton & Saunders, 2012)
Modern day:
* interactive relationships between humans and the rest of nature
* focus on applying psychological theory and research to enhance conservation of natural resources
Conservation psychology (Koger & Scott, 2016) : Bad for planet
- global warming is widely recognized as the ‘‘biggest global health threat of the twenty-first century” (Costello et al., 2009, p. 1693)
- chemical pollutants linked to birth defects
- Epidemic prevalence of mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and substance use/abuse
- possibly due to psychological disconnection from the natural world (Conn, 1998; Roszak et al., 1995)
Conservation psychology (Koger & Scott, 2016): Good for the planet
· ‘‘sustainable’’ practices including experiences in natural settings promote healthy child development
Examples such as air quality; physical activity; social cohesion
Hartig, Mitchell, deVries & Frumkin (2014)
Relevance and timeliness of integrating psychology and sustainability
* Psychologists are increasingly applying their expertise to environmental issues
* APA has called for psychologists to become more involved in addressing climate change
How does Psychology solve contemporary social problem?
- we have a shared responsibility to help create a more sustainable society (Harré, 2011)
- ‘right’ to apply the accumulated wisdom from the behavioural sciences to solving contemporary social problems
Concepts and theories
Shifting baseline syndrome (SBS; Soga & Gaston, 2018 )- gradual change in the accepted norms for the condition of the natural environment due
Consequences
High societal tolerance for progressive environmental degradation
Alters people’s expectations as to what is a desirable
Setting of inappropriate targets for environmental conservation, restoration and management programs