The role of psychology in a sustainable world
Posted : June 8, 2010 by Alex, Category: Sustainability
In the USA - the birthplace of behavioural psychology - you may hear of people going to see a “shrink”. When we think about people who are actively involved in creating a sustainable World, we think of policy makers, industry leaders, innovators and engineers. So how can a “shrink” shrink our environmental impact?
It has long been established by psychologists such Erwin Schroedinger and BF Skinner that much of our behaviour is controlled by the unconscious mind, implying that we are driven more by our desires, instincts and emotions, as opposed to rational thought and our ‘civilised’ modern environment. (You only have to see the way that software developers descend on a fresh chocolate cake; akin to a pack of vultures!) Many leading scientists strongly believe in the existence of ‘selfish genes’ inherent in every one of us, giving us a genetic tendency to “look after #1.”
If we think of that chocolate cake as a bountiful World full of natural resources, we can clearly see the same thing happening on a bigger scale. Entire nations clamour for the few fish left in our oceans (remember the cod wars?); global corporations compete for the ‘right’ to remove the remaining fossil fuels from the Earth only for energy providers to compete for their perceived right to burn as much of these resources as their considerable profit margins allow. If you wondered why the Copenhagen summit last year was such a failure, you only have to think about the human condition. We didn’t get to the top of the food chain by being considerate, sustainable and nice to each other.
As the developed World strives for a better quality of life and material values, the developing nations naturally want the same things. With the World population predicted to rise from 6.5b to over 9bn in the next forty years, there are already concerns about shortages in global food production and drinking water. How long will it take before we fully understand it is our greed-driven lifestyles and subconscious desires that form the root of the problem?
Schroedingers famous cat experiment described the nature of quantum physics, whereby the cat – sealed in a box with a deadly poison that would be released randomly at any moment – was technically both dead and alive at the same time (ironically, this is called the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics). Perhaps if Schroedinger could see our modern World, he would arrive at the same conclusion about the human race in our sealed, finite and fragile planet; whereby our collective psyche is the poison that will inevitably lead to our demise.
Schrödinger’s Cat: A cat, along with a flask containing a poison and a radioactive source, is placed in a sealed box shielded against environmentally induced quantum decoherence. If an internal Geiger counter detects radiation, the flask is shattered, releasing the poison that kills the cat. The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics implies that after a while, the cat is simultaneously alive and dead.
If you asked a psychologist how we can prevent this happening, they might tell you that it would require a global change in behaviour, the way we perceive ourselves and our elevated sense of self-importance. This is without question the greatest challenge in tackling environmental issues, yet we have ignored this aspect in favour of easy quick-fixes like new technology and government legislation.
Interestingly, it is understood that the qualities that make us human are the strong values that we place on intangible human qualities such as love, affection and warmth. So perhaps it isn’t so difficult for us to stop pretending that material possessions and pay rises are the things that make us happy.
I know that I would be happier knowing that the next generation will inherit a World with a fighting chance, rather than watch it fall to pieces on my 42” flat screen TV.
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