Human-to-nature relationship is psychology

[andre]

The one discipline that, sad to say, has hitherto remained virtually untouched by any concern for the environment or the human-to-nature relationship is psychology. You will search in vain in the texts and journals of any of the major schools of psychology—clinical, behaviorist, cognitive, physiological, humanistic or transpersonal—for any theory or research concerning the most basic fact of human existence: the fact of our relationship to the natural world of which we are a part.
Any thoughts on whether your relationship with nature is or should be a genuine concern?

[svenrufus]

Can't give a very detailed answer as I am no expert in this sort of thing, but I know that there has been research done on the natural affinity people have with the environment. There was work done on how patients recover in hospitals if they have a view of a tree from their window - recovery time is considerably accelerated. There has also been some work done on kids in schools getting access to the outside world and how it improves attention span, discipline and learning across the board on other lessons. Can't give citations for this, but there is some stuff being done which gets toward what I think you are asking about.

I have also seen some more general stuff about how our ideal living environment is pretty universal across the world in terms of access to water, open spaces with wide views and scattered trees etc. The idea behind this is that it is an 'echo' of our ancestral memory from where our species evolved ie the African Plains.

It is important, as people who are dissociated from their environment and have no care for it are - IMHO - more likely to have no care for others around them in their society, nor for their environment as a whole and are those most likely to have sociopathic tendencies. Bold statement with no substantiation, but I do beleive that to be true.

Interesting area, if there is any research on it I'm sure it would be fascinating reading.

[owen]

I’ve been working on Ecopsychology and closely associated with “Institute of Global Education” special NGO consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Their site is http://www.ecopsych.co - Spam? - Online Educating-Counseling Natural Degree Training: Ecopsychology Gaia Job Career Book The web site provides a great deal of information about human ecology and the organic application of ecopsychology and ecotherapy.

[Rich_]

Not sure if I fully understand the question, so I hope the following is relevant?

I believe each generation is distancing it's self further from from nature. Interest and involvement in wildlife and our natural surroundings is becoming a hobby rather than a way of life as it used to be.

The human race has become increasingly urbanised in it's mentality,and is losing site of the fact that ALL our food is provided by nature & comes from the country side or the sea. How many today will know how to grow a vegetable or catch and prepare a fish if the delivery lorries fail to turn up at tescos for the next few years? If we can't sustain the high tech civilisation we have built we may need this knowledge again at some point in the future.

[harasseddad]

I saw some research (and I'm sorry i can't remember where) that said that while people who were involved in the outdoor life as children related to nature more than those who weren't, the way in which they related differed depending on how they got involved. Children whose early interactions were unstructured and haphazard had a greater tendency to support conservation and green issues - while those who had formal interactions only (through school or scouts) had a more instrumental approach - and tended to have a greater likelyhood to support hunting, view the countryside as a resource to be used etc.

Now this was american research, so may be coloured by their culture - but certainly my interactions as a child with the great outdoors were wandering off on my own across fields during the summer holidays. It may be that trying to interest children in nature by creating structured events is counter-productive. What we need is more tree-houses and back-yard waste grounds for kids to play in.

[Rich_]

Originally Posted by harasseddad

I
my interactions as a child with the great outdoors were wandering off on my own across fields during the summer holidays. It may be that trying to interest children in nature by creating structured events is counter-productive. What we need is more tree-houses and back-yard waste grounds for kids to play in.

I agree the best way to find out about the natural world is to explore it for themselves. Though, I think there is probably enough waste ground etc, and there'd probably be enough tree houses too if it wasn't for Playstation & the mobile phone?