Conservation Psychology

Susan Clayton is Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology and Chair of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio, USA. She has served as president of the Society for Environmental, Population, andConservation Psychology and is president-elect of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Her research focuses on understanding and promoting concern about environmental issues.  In particular, Clayton is interested in the ways in which a relationship with nature is promoted through social interactions, and has studied these interactions in zoo settings around the world. Gene Myers is a Professor at Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, where he offers courses in conservation psychology, environmental history and ethics, and teaches and advises in undergraduate and graduate programs in environmental education. He is a past president of the Society for Human Ecology. His research interests include the psychological foundations of children’s relation to animals; theontogenetic development of environmental care and responsibility; the integration of positive psychology into conservation and sustainability practice; and the teaching of environmental ethics and the preparation of future environmental educators.

"Professional ecologists and conservationists have not always tried to understand the position of local communities because of differences in worldviews. The book, Conservation Psychology can help them find a way out of such situations, as the authors reveal the psychological mechanisms of such conflicts."—Anna Kuzemko, Bulletin of the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group, January 2017

• Preface to the Second Edition xiAbout the Companion Website xiii1 Introducing the Field of Conservation Psychology 1Conservation 2Psychology 3Human care for nature 5The roots of conservation psychology 7The utility of conservation psychology 8The practice of conservation psychology 10The organization of the book 11Conclusion 12For further information, visit these websites 13References 13Part I Human Experiences of Nature2 Domestic Nature: Cohabiting with Animals and Plants 17Animals in the home 17History and variations in pet-keeping 18Relationships with pets 19Health and well-being effects of domestic animals 23Social effects of companion animals 25Robotic animals 27Connections with nature 28Plants in the domestic sphere 29Effects of indoor plants 29Window views of nature 31Plant-facilitated therapy 31Experience and effects of gardening 32Conclusion 34References 353 Managed Nature: Zoos, Aquariums, and Public Parks 41Zoos and aquariums 42Reasons for visiting 43Visitors’ experience of the zoo 45Impact on environmental knowledge and concern 46Maximizing the experience 48Urban parks and green spaces 50Parks and human well-being 52Children and green space 53Conclusion 55References 554 Wild Nature: Encounters with Wilderness 60Defining wild nature and wilderness 60Wilderness use and wilderness values 62Wilderness solitude 64Natural forces and features 66Wildfire 67Natural disasters 67Wild animals: attitudes and experience 69The edge of control: wilderness remoteness and challenge 73Activity in wild nature, connection, and caring 76Wild nature and spiritual experience 78Wilderness-based growth and therapeutic programs 81Conclusion 82References 83Part II Thinking About Nature5 Attitudes, Values, and Perceptions 93Core understandings of nature 93Values 94Attitudes 98Perceptions 101Evolutionary perspectives 104Conclusion 109References 1096 Perceptions of Environmental Problems 114Risk perception 114Biases in information processing 118Language and discourse 120Understanding environmental problems 121Attributions of responsibility 124Linking perceptions to behavior 125Conclusion 126References 1277 Moral Psychology and the Environment 130Background on ethical concepts 130Social intuitionism and moral foundations theory 131A virtue ethics of the environment 134The deontic tradition and psychological research 141Contextual differences in moral duties 145Consequentialism, emotion, and socialization 147Psychological dynamics of moral functioning 151Pragmatist ethics 154Conclusion 156References 1568 Environment and Identity 163The concept of identity 163Identity development 164Developing an affiliation with nature 166Environmental identity 167Ecopsychology and depth psychology perspectives 169Measuring environmental identity 170Place identity 171Animals and identity 174Environmental social identity 175Identity and behavior 177Putting identity to work 179Conclusion 181References 182Part III Encouraging a Sustainable Relationship Between Humans and Nature9 Promoting Sustainable Behavior 191Identifying target behaviors 191Influences on behavior 193External factors 193Internal factors 198Models for changing behavior 204Collective behavior 206Conclusion 208References 20810 Community Psychology and International Biodiversity Conservation 212International biodiversity conservation 213Common pool resources and models of governance 214New conceptions of the commons 216Social capital and its limitations 220Psychology, culture, and local knowledge 222Creating ecological knowledge old and new: Traditional and modern citizen science 225Accounting for the costs and benefits of conservation 228Psychological costs of displacing populations for conservation 230Conservation and all-too-human psychology 232Psychological biases and emotion 232Illegal trade in threatened and endangered species 233Conservation, environmental threats, and conflict 235Conclusion 236References 23711 Environmental Education 241Environmental education 242The need for environmental education 244Examples of contemporary environmental education 246Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 246Classroom-based environmental education 247Place-based education 248Programs focused on biodiversity 250Psychological foundations of environmental education 251Cognitive development, ecology, and environmental knowledge 252Affective factors and EE 253Socialization 256Action, participation, and problem solving 257Lessons for effective practice 260Conclusion 261References 26112 The Positive Psychology of Conservation 268Nature as a positive environment 269Negative emotions in response to environmental challenges 273Positive emotions in relation to environmental behaviors 275Eudaimonism and meaning 277Materialistic values versus self-determination theory 279Optimism and pessimism 283Self-regulation and expectancies of outcomes 283Explanatory style 284Cognitive strategies 285Optimistic and pessimistic biases in environmental issues 286Toward strengths-based approaches 286Human virtue and character strengths 288Other-praising emotions and positive moral psychology 289Engagement and creativity 291Mindfulness 293Collective flourishing 294References 296Glossary 305Index 311