Introduction to Ecopsychology: Science, Totems, and the Technological Species

People depend on nature for both physical health and emotional well-being. We see this in everyday life when we form strong bonds with pets, seek out beautiful natural places for rest and renewal, or find satisfaction in gardening. At the same time, humans are deeply shaped by technology and always have been, from early stone tools to today’s digital world. One of the biggest challenges of modern life is learning how to stay connected to the natural world while also living fully in a scientific and technological society.

This book explores that challenge by rethinking ecopsychology, the study of how nature and human psychology are connected. It argues that people have a deep sense of belonging with the living world around them and that this connection should be integrated with modern knowledge and technology. The authors explore ideas such as why people naturally feel attached to certain places, how nature shapes meaning and language, the growing evidence that time in nature improves health, and how nature-based therapy can support healing. They also look at broader ideas about Earth as a living system, community living focused on sustainability, how the brain responds to natural beauty, and the cultural importance of landscapes. Together, these perspectives offer a hopeful and practical vision for human well-being and a healthier relationship with the natural world.

Abstract

An ecopsychology that integrates our totemic selves—our kinship with a more than human world—with our technological selves.

We need nature for our physical and psychological well-being. Our actions reflect this when we turn to beloved pets for companionship, vacation in spots of natural splendor, or spend hours working in the garden. Yet we are also a technological species and have been since we fashioned tools out of stone. Thus one of this century’s central challenges is to embrace our kinship with a more-than-human world—”our totemic self”—and integrate that kinship with our scientific culture and technological selves.

This book takes on that challenge and proposes a reenvisioned ecopsychology. Contributors consider such topics as the innate tendency for people to bond with local place; a meaningful nature language; the epidemiological evidence for the health benefits of nature interaction; the theory and practice of ecotherapy; Gaia theory; ecovillages; the neuroscience of perceiving natural beauty; and sacred geography. Taken together, the essays offer a vision for human flourishing and for a more grounded and realistic environmental psychology.