Ecological Self Research Articles

Navigating the Ecological Self: A Deep Ecological Analysis of Self Realization in the Film AVATAR.

Navigating the Ecological Self: A Deep Ecological Analysis of Self Realization in the Film AVATAR.

Zen and the Art of Doughnut Economics: When Limits are Strangely Liberating

Kate Raworth's celebrated book, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist, calls for a reconciliation of our design principles for society and the economy with the rhythms and tolerances of ecological systems. It will demand something akin to a new axial revolution that will have to be experienced as much in the body and in the intimacies of a renewed care and appreciation for our relational and ecological selves as in the collective re-design of our societies, democratic decision-making and collective provisioning. Buddhist scholarship offers a distinctive contribution to this conversation invoked in a book that has sparked a global movement.

Virtue Ethics and the Ecological Self: From Environmental to Ecological Virtues

This article examines how a non-anthropocentric virtue ethics can truly avoid an anthropocentric bias in the ethical evaluation of a situation where the environment is at stake. It argues that a non-anthropocentric virtue ethics capable of avoiding the pitfall of an anthropocentric bias can only conceive of the ultimate good—from which virtues are defined—in reference to an ecological self. Such a self implies that the natural environment is not simply a condition for human flourishing, or something that complements it by adding the proper good of animals, organisms or ecosystems. Fulfilment is not that of a human self, but that of an ecological self: the natural environment or nature is not an external but an internal good. Therefore, the virtues or character traits that such an ecological self must nurture and develop leads us ultimately to distinguish—without opposing them—three different forms of virtue ethics applied to the environment, depending on whether it is anthropocentric or non-anthropocentric and whether nature is considered extrinsically or intrinsically. Such distinctions are also crucial to determine how we conceive of the political community and the collective goals that virtuous citizens assign to it (for instance, to preserve biodiversity, to tackle climate change, and so on).

The Connectedness with Nature of Chinese Adolescent Tourists: A Q Method Approach

ABSTRACT A systematic understanding of Chinese adolescent tourists’ connectedness with nature is helpful to illustrate the coming cultural turn in self-nature relationship. However, the existing research is almost based on the Western cultural context and follow the Western approach. Employing the Q method, this study aims to investigate the diverse patterns of CWN from the perspective of 36 adolescent tourists in Xi’an and Shenzhen, China. Our initial findings show four distinct patterns are relevant in the participants’ CWN, including individuals’ ecological self, subjective feelings about nature, positive experiences with nature, and cognitive beliefs about nature. In addition, a theoretical framework of four underlying continuums is developed to clarify how a complex process of co-construction reveals patterns of CWN. This study offers suggestions for destination management and environmental education.

Ecological Virtuous Selves: Towards a Non-Anthropocentric Environmental Virtue Ethic?

Existing predominant approaches within virtue ethics (VE) assume humans as the typical agent and virtues as dispositions that pertain primarily to human–human interpersonal relationships. Similarly, the main accounts in the more specific area of environmental virtue ethics (EVE) tend to support weak anthropocentric positions, in which virtues are understood as excellent dispositions of human agents. In addition, however, several EVE authors have also considered virtues that benefit non-human beings and entities (e.g., environmental or ecological virtues). The latter correspond to excellent character dispositions that would extend moral consideration and care for the benefit of non-human beings, entities, or entire ecosystems. In this direction, a few authors have argued that EVE could be considered non-anthropocentric insofar as it could: (a) promote non-human ends, well-being, and the flourishing of non-human beings and entities; (b) involve significant relations to non-humans. Drawing from different traditions, including ecofeminism and care ethics, we argue for a broader notion of self and a decentered notion of virtues. The broader notion of selfhood corresponds to the “ecological self”, one that can be enacted by both human and non-human beings, is embedded in a network of relations, and recognizes the more-than-human world as fundamental and yet indispensable otherness. We suggest that this broader notion of agency allows for an expansive understanding of virtues that includes a-moral functional ecological virtues, which can be exercised not only by humans but also by certain non-human beings. This alternative understanding of selfhood and ecological virtues within EVE could have several theoretical and practical implications, some of which may enable different types of agencies and transform collective action.

An exploration of the relationship between the arts, awareness of nature and dance movement psychotherapy

The aim of this article is to underline the importance of metaphors, imagination, and symbolism, and our connection to the natural environment through dance movement psychotherapy. In today’s society, the humancentric attachment with others and with nature highlights the nature-body-mind split and how far apart we have grown from our surrounding environment. Through spontaneity, playfulness, desire and exploring the joy of existence, we can weave anew the web of life; a life directly connected with the earth, our bodies, our inner experience and spirituality. Rituals, symbolism, and a more sensory way of experiencing the world could become the anchor of our journey towards otherness and developing our ecological self.

Ecopsychological Development and Maternal Ecodistress During Matrescence

The experience of matrescence, the developmental transition to motherhood, has not explicitly included the ecological domain, whereby mothers awaken to ecological concerns and question their ethical relationship to nature. Therefore, in this paper, we argue the need for a new framework known as maternal ecopsychology and its related ecotherapies to accelerate a mother's movement toward an enlarged ecoconsciousness as part and parcel of an already unfolding matrescence. We will also explore the ecopsychological underpinnings of maternal mental health disorders, such as Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, which have not previously been viewed from a nature-based perspective. First, we define ecoconsciousness and the ecological self to demonstrate how their development is necessary for humanity's ecological sustainability, especially for maternal health. We then outline how mothers have a unique opportunity to move from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric worldview through their matrescence and, in doing so, later reinterpret maternal psychopathology. We propose nature-based interventions such as those available to adolescents as alternative treatments for established maternal mental health symptoms, including but not limited to climate and environment-related concerns. Finally, we share general guidelines for ecotherapeutic practices with mothers to address the three primary conflicts that often arise in matrescence and to help mothers transition away from the limitations of anthropocentrism and toward a profound new interrelationship with nature instead.

Nature connectedness and the Discipline of Authentic Movement

This article follows a path linking the discipline of authentic movement with Nature connectedness. This deep empathic practice seeks to change empathy from the interpersonal solely to an interspecies dialogue, cultivating a shift from human-focussed to an earthly perspective of the world. It offers the author's reflections and examples from practice of an adapted model of the discipline of authentic movement which employs the roles of witness and mover outdoors to cultivate opportunities to experience participatory knowing from, and with, the more-than human world. There are enormous challenges to be met by the human species in the face of the climate catastrophe. This proposed creative, enactive, embodied, embedded model is another way to promote Nature connectedness to develop an ecological self which recognizes an ethical responsibility for the planet and its interdependence with humans.

On the social embeddedness of aeromobility: insights from the ecological self in intimate relationships

AbstractIn this article the author addresses selected psychosocial aspects experienced, expressed, and negotiated by sustainability-oriented individuals who share an environmental awareness yet at the same time struggle to implement it in their everyday lives. Based on the analysis of interviews conducted with individuals and couples in Germany, the author focuses on individual and joint efforts to deal with ecological challenges in the face of aeromobility in times of climate change. The results indicate the advantage of conceptualizing aeromobility as a sometimes deeply socially embedded practice and thus constitutive reference point for the ecological self in relationships.

“Where are you going?”: Investigating Spatiality from a Translocal Perspective in Forrest Gander’s Core Samples from the World

Abstract
 An illustrious poet, editor and translator Forrest Gander probes into the conditions of modern human existence with a remarkable sensitivity towards the contemporary environmental challenges. The finalist for Pulitzer Prize 2012, Gander’s Core Samples from the World (2011) recounts his experience of distant, exotic places like China, Mexico, and Bosnia-Herzegovina from the perspective of an ecopoet writing in the Anthropocene. Composed from the objective viewpoint of a traveller the book exploits the Japanese Haibun form to juxtapose poetry, essays and photographs taken by his collaborators— Raymond Meeks, Graciela Iturbide and Lucas Foglia. Together the detached prose pieces, the disorienting poetry and the evocative photographs shed light on the severity of current ecological crisis and raise critical questions regarding one’s ecological self and identity. The present study aims to explore how Gander’s singular conception of space simultaneously instigates the readers to open dialogue regarding such pivotal questions and plays a seminal role in the evolution of his ecopoetic vision. This paper further aspires to analyse the ways in which Gander exploits his inclusive spatial engagement as a traveller to portray the world as a shared, connected space permanently altered by the reckless exploitation of nature and natural resources. It also intends to enquire the subsequent deterioration of the bond between human beings and their surroundings which ultimately results in a sense of fragmentation along with a loss of identity. The present study also scrutinizes how Gander’s unconventional imagination and delineation of translocal space which is essentially an open-ended, mobile and multilateral concept rather than a static geographical locale influence his engagement with contemporary environmental issues on various levels.

Exploring the Ambivalence of Tribal and Gender Narratives in Mamang Dai’s the Black Hill

Ecology as a component of sustenance of life is complex, multi layered and interconnected, where the author ideating from the space of being ‘human’, tries to emerge as ecologically responsible in the articulation of identity construction. It is in this context that the present paper seeks to analyse how Mamang Dai in her novel, The Black Hill envisages on the task of blurring out the ecological self and the other through her characters in a post-colonial context. Such ecological vision in Mamang Dai’s work provides as a mouth-piece for her personal philosophy which is also entrenched in the mythical folklores of the Adi community. The novel has also highlighted the ideological enrapture of colonialism which resulted with the advent of Christianity and how this led to the change of the pagan culture. An attempt shall also be made to analyse the novel along the lines of deep ecology and the author’s attempt to develop an ‘ecosophy’ of preserving the native tradition while living harmoniously with the intrinsic values of nature.

From the Earth We Came: Recognizing the Ecological Self in Dislocation and Pastoral Theology

From the Earth We Came: Recognizing the Ecological Self in Dislocation and Pastoral Theology

The Ecological Self: Narratives for Changing Times

"Abstract The challenge of climate change requires that people in developed countries redefine themselves in relation to others, and reappraise how the environment, in turn, shapes us and our expectations for the future. In seeking to understand the complexity of the situation we come up against questions of scale, experience and imagination which undermine our familiar ways of thinking theoretically and phenomenologically. This paper considers some of the inevitable reasons why this psychological undertaking is resisted by many, and provides some cultural context for the individual dilemmas and choices that face us. Drawing on the work of Joanna Macy, a three-part developmental model is presented. Clinical examples, personal narrative and dream illustrate the work. Keywords climate change, ecology, self, culture, cosmology, catastrophe, time, story, other-than-human.

Why the New Sh*t platform at dansehallerne does neoliberal shit

In this article, the New Sh*t platform at Dansehallerne in Denmark is analysed and criticised, as a means to investigate the fruition of its motivation to help strengthen the Danish dance ecosystem. By introducing thoughts on the transindividual self and the ecological self, I argue that as long as the platform mainly allows young Danish choreographers to show solo work, it cannot bring much change about to the conditions of production under which they already work. I argue why I believe the Danish dance scene could be at the forefront of changing the individualistic production mode of modern day Europe and how the (forgotten) mode of collaboration holds a potential for an ecological shift away from the neoliberal impetus.

Sylvia’s Self-realization in Sarah Orne Jewett’s A White Heron From the Perspective of Deep Ecology

In her short novel A white Heron, the famous American regional writer Sarah Orne Jewett pays attention to ecological problems. Sylvia, the protagonist of the novel, gradually realizes the significance of nature in the process of Self-realization. By living in the wood and befriending animals, she also changes from the stage of ego to social self and finally to ecological self. This process of Self-realization is a possible approach to the better relationship between human and nature.

Disturbance of Ecological Self and Impairment of Affordance Perception.

Affordance, a radical concept James Gibson introduced in the 1970s, remains controversial today. Defined as environmental properties taken with reference to an animal’s anatomy and action capabilities, affordances are opportunities for action the environment offers. By perceiving affordances, organisms hold meaningful relationships with their surroundings. Affordance is not just a theoretical concept but, as the embodiment of meanings and values, has serious psychological implications. We contend that the lack of these meanings and values underlies the irrational behavior seen in patients with self disorders such as schizophrenia. We reason that it is by perceiving affordances that individuals keep in touch with their surroundings and stay mentally healthy. Using contrapositive reasoning, the reverse could also be true. That is, when individuals experience difficulty maintaining meaningful relations with their surroundings and suffer from mental health problems, we might anticipate that their affordance detection systems are impaired. In two studies conducted in our laboratory, patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease were shown to have impaired capacity to perceive affordances, a result qualifying as contra-positive evidence corroborating the affordance concept. In addition, our results provide support for accepting contra-positive evidence as a complementary tool to positive evidence for empirically validating concepts such as affordance and meaning.

Slow Down (You Move Too Fast): designing mechanics to encourage practices of ‘ecological perception’ through mobile digital performances

ABSTRACT Slow Down (You Move Too Fast) is a mobile digital performance that the audience member experiences via headphones as they walk for fifty minutes outdoors. During the performance the audience member is encouraged to physically slow down the movement of their body as they walk, from a comfortable walking pace to extreme slow motion. As they slow down, they experience aural soundscapes that evoke progressively slower temporal rhythms in nature, from the circadian rhythm of a single day passing through to the millennial long cycle of rock eroding and moving. Drawing on Laura Sewall’s insight into the ‘skill of ecological perception’ the work sought to utilise the mechanics of slowing down to engage the audience member in an embodied reflection on the interconnection of their body with the natural world around them, and on the temporal practices that shape their awareness of this interconnection. This practice-as-research reflection explores theoretical inspirations and how these were translated into the goals and design of the work. It then examines participant responses and offers insights into whether, and how, mechanics that evoke sensory engagement can allow participants to develop an expanded sense of an ‘ecological self’.

Resonant selves in ethical and theological perspective: On personhood and identity formation

AbstractAbsorbing insights from secular discourses on personhood, theology can provide added perspectives on human identity. (1) An attributive view of personal dignity based on divine and social recognition encompasses both capacity‐oriented and relation‐centred views of personhood. (2) Gregory of Nyssa shows Patristic resources for multifaceted ecological self in some contrast to the inner‐Trinitarian idea of ecclesial persons in John D. Zizioulas. (3) An economic Trinitarian model of personhood is proposed, in which the indwelling of Christ is balanced by a pneumatological anthropology. (4) Entering contemporary discussions, the paper proposes a “sonar” or “re‐sonant” understanding of the human per‐sona, hereby accommodating and responding to particularistic challenges to the idea of a shared human personhood.

Eco-martyrdom: Positive elements of self-sacrifice

This theoretical article briefly explores the historical and modern concept of martyrdom and how it has taken on its current negative connotation due to suicide bombings after 9/11. The paper will review the literature on this more heavily studied form of martyrdom and then distinguish it from the less well-known area of “positive self-sacrifice.” The article asserts that this positive form is exemplified by the behavior of eco-martyrs: people who have given their life to protect the environment from further devastation. The paper will include the case of slain trade union leader and environmental activist Chico Mendes. Chico is an exemplar of the positive self-sacrifice seen in many eco-martyrs. Positive self-sacrifice is defined as prosocial and altruistic actions exhibited by a person who is so fused with their community’s survival that they focus on nothing but the well-being of the community (counterfinality). Since their community’s struggle is tied to an environmental conflict, they abide by an ecological self (humans are not superior to other beings) and over time display evidence of self-actualization and self-transcendence. Eco-martyrs are typically assassinated by the powerful organizations that they have been resisting.

A Psychological Perception Mechanism and Factor Analysis in Landsenses Ecology: A Case Study of Low-Carbon Harmonious Discourse.

Landsenses ecology has been widely applied in research into sustainable consciousness and behavior and the notion of landsense creation realizes the unity of the macro physical senses and micro psychological perceptions. However, a great deal of current research about landsenses ecology has concentrated on the dimension of the physical senses, while there have been relatively few studies on the dimension of its psychological perception. This paper begins by clarifying the concept of self and explaining out that the psychological perception mechanism of landsense creation represents a process of guiding people to know themselves and realize their ecological self. It then utilizes the example of low-carbon discourse to explore the factors contributing to the resonance of ecological self-vision. Our results show that the perceived self-efficacy, environmental concern and environmental knowledge triggered by ecological discourse are the main factors contributing to the resonance of sustainable vision, thus clarifying the indicators of landsenses ecology at the level of psychological perception. Our purpose is to effectively guide the landsense creation of harmonious discourse and promote people to engage in potentially more sustainable behavior.