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Ecopsychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the synthesis of ecology and psychology and the promotion of sustainability. It is distinguished from conventional psychology as it focuses on studying the emotional bond between humans and the Earth. Instead of examining personal pain solely in the context of individual or family pathology, it is analyzed in its wider connection to the more than human world. A central premise is that while the mind is shaped by the modern world, its underlying structure was created in a natural non-human environment. Ecopsychology seeks to expand and remedy the emotional connection between humans and nature, treating people psychologically by bringing them spiritually closer to nature. (Will be editing the lead to include the sections more accurately after I have finalized the sections I will be adding for publishing)

History

Origins of ecopsychology

Cultural Concepts & Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology is a fairly new subsection of study in the field of Psychology. Many of the key concepts in the field were influenced by the wisdoms of many indigenous communities around the world. These ideas detail the benefits of a relationship between all living beings and the Earth. TEK or Traditional Ecological Knowledge is engrained in many indigenous cultures and is passed down from generation to generation. TEK often centers on sustainability practices, spiritual wellbeing practices, and other practices that are meant to strengthen one's relationship with Nature. The indigenous cultural concept of lifeways explains the importance between maintaining inner, personal balance with balance in the outer world. Concepts of nature found in lifeways are often tied to psychological concepts for personal betterment. It has been observed that the four elements, in some indigenous communities, often represent psychologically beneficial concepts such as grounding, mindfulness, boundary building, and interconnectedness. (Edited paragraph for easier reading as suggested by Campbell, Sarah Ann, and Leanna)(Paragraph also moved for cohesion)

Sigmund Freud

In his 1929 book Civilization and Its Discontents ("Das Unbehagen in der Kultur"), Sigmund Freud discussed the basic tensions between civilization and the individual. He recognized the interconnection between the internal world of the mind and the external world of the environment, stating:^{[page needed]}

Our present ego-feeling is, therefore, only a shrunken residue of a much more inclusive—indeed, an all-embracing—feeling which corresponded to a more intimate bond between the ego and the world about it.

Robert Greenway

Influenced by the philosophies of noted ecologists Walles T. Edmondson and Loren Eiseley, Robert Greenway began researching and developing a concept that he described as "a marriage" between psychology and ecology in the early 1960s. He theorized that "the mind is nature, and nature, the mind," and called its study psychoecology.^{[citation needed]} Greenway published his first essay on the topic at Brandeis University in 1963.

In 1969, he began teaching the subject at Sonoma State University. One of Greenway's students founded a psychoecology study group at University of California, Berkeley, which was joined by Theodore Roszak in the 1990s.

In the 1995 book Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, Greenway wrote:^{[page needed]}

Ecopsychology is a search for language to describe the human-nature relationship. It is a tool for better understanding the relationship, for diagnosing what is wrong with that relationship, and for suggesting paths to healing

thumb|Theodore Roszak

Theodore Roszak

Theodore Roszak is credited with coining the term "ecopsychology" in his 1992 book The Voice of the Earth, although a group of psychologists and environmentalists, including Mary Gomes and Allen Kanner, were independently using the term at the same time. Roszak, Gomes and Kanner later expanded the idea in the 1995 anthology Ecopsychology. Two other books were especially formative, Paul Shepard's 1982 volume, Nature and Madness, which explored the effect that our diminishing engagement with nature had upon psychological development, and David Abram's 1996 The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World. The latter was one of the first books to bring phenomenology fully to bear on ecological issues, looking closely at the cosmo-vision (or the traditional ecological knowledge systems) of diverse indigenous, oral cultures, and analyzing the curious effect that the advent of formal writing systems, like the phonetic alphabet, has had upon the human experience of the more-than-human natural world. Roszak mentions the biophilia hypothesis of biologist E.O. Wilson; that humans have an instinct to emotionally connect with nature.

Core Principles and Applications

Roszak states that an individual's connection to nature can improve their interpersonal relationships and emotional wellbeing.^{[citation needed]} An integral part of this practice is treating patients outdoors. According to ecopsychology, humans are meant to take walks in parks. (Added source) It considers the psyche of non-humans to be relevant.^{[clarification needed]} It examines why people continue environmentally damaging behaviour, and motivates them to adopt sustainability.

Fundamental principles

According to Roszak, some of the principles of ecopsychology are:^{[page needed]}

• "There is a synergistic interplay between planetary and personal well-being."
• "The core of the mind is the ecological unconscious."
• "The goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious."
• "The contents of the ecological unconscious represent ... the living record of evolution."
• "The crucial stage of development is the life of the child."
• "The ecological ego matures toward a sense of ethical responsibility with the planet."
• "Whatever contributes to small scale social forms and personal empowerment nourish the ecological ego."

Types of Ecopsychology Based Therapies

• Wilderness Therapy often entails curating outdoor survival skills and other helpful outdoors related skills. It is usually facilitated in the wilderness and can last anywhere from 5 days to several weeks for patients.
• Adventure Therapy often includes activities that are meant for team building. These activities include rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, and low ropes courses among others.
• Horticulture Therapy focuses on the therapeutic use of outdoor gardening.
• Forest Rehabilitation Therapy focuses on patients cultivating a deeper relationship with nature by consorting with it.
• Animal- Assisted Therapy allows for therapeutic use of animal companionship.

Careers in Ecopsychology

Listed are some of the career paths offered with either an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree with specialization in Ecopsychology or Environmental Psychology:

• Environmental Planners often aid in urban development by suggesting ecologically conscious solutions and opinions to governmental organizations.
• Environmental Market Research Analysts aid companies in understanding consumer spending as it related to "green" initiatives. They are also apart of creating marketing campaigns for companies.
• Professors of Ecopsychology teach students the methods, theories, and applications of the field; furthermore, Ecopsychology professors are also committed to their own professional development.
• Ecopsychologist - Nature Therapists act similarly to general psychologists, but with a focus on nature based therapeutic methods.
• Climate Psychologists are tasked with determining how to influence and engage people positively in activities and choices that do not harm the environment. Using research and available information to give informed decisions, these professionals contribute to a wide range of decision making, including legislation.

(Adding a career section as suggested by Sarah Ann)

References (Plan to go through and find some sources for the "citation needed" content)

Need to update 3 to a file that is accessible by others (was added and is a systemic review)

EDIT SUMMARY RESPONSE TO PEER REVIEWS

Sarah Ann suggested I move the cultural concepts to under the history section, Campbell and Leanna agreed. I did end up taking this suggestion as it positively impacted the flow of content. She also suggested I clarify language around TKE, which was echoed by my other peers. I did take this suggestion and hopefully made the section easier to read. Sarah Ann mentioned that she would love to see a "careers in ecopsychology". I found this one to be easy and in an effort to make the subject less theoretical and more practical, I did add it. I am not sure if I like the title though. Campbell, Leanna, and Sarah Ann all suggested I update the lead when I have finalized the sections and info I will be adding. I will be taking their advice. Lastly, Sarah Anne and Leanna suggested I add on and/or spruce up the citations, two of which must be peer reviewed. I have been working diligently to find those sources that are the best fit for the article. Leanna suggested a section dedicated to the origins of ecopsychology; however, as I am having a hard enough time finding sources that cite indigenous knowledge as the inspiration of the subfield, I don't think I can beneficial impact that section to make it worth adding at this time. Another suggestion from Leanna was to cite which groups of indigenous people these ideas originated with; however, colonialism so viciously stole generations of elders from tribes, so prejudiciously burned languages, records, wisdom, and cultural traditions, that finding these specificities would take months of manual research. This is not feasible at this time. Campbell suggested adding a practical applications in indigenous communities section, and I have added a line or so about how their beliefs in the elements translates to therapeutic behaviors. I am trying to find more information, but much wisdom isn't readily shared as most indigenous spiritual information isn't just readily available. Campbell suggested also sprucing up the beliefs section, though there has been little consensus on the definition or criteria to firmly define ecopsychology. Lastly she thought of changing the name from the beliefs section to something more clinical. I know that I need two peer reviewed articles and am working on finding the most relevant ones for this article. Katie helped me identify alternative ways to search papers for this field, as it is so new it doesn't have decades of peer reviewed material, but related and overlapping fields exist.

Instructor Feedback (you can delete once addressed): Without putting your contributions in distinctive font, I was unable to see what contributions you made vs. what is existing in the article. I would encourage you to bring over more of the existing article so it is clear how your additions will fit. I would also encourage you to put your contributions in distinctive font (e.g., bold or underline). Your citations need a bit of work as they are duplicated and not formatting correctly. I made some minor formatting adjustments in the paragraph above. While both citations are acceptable for the article, I am unclear whether either are peer-reviewed. You will need at least two examples of clear peer-reviewed secondary literature (e.g., review paper).