Ecopsychology

Catalog description

Ecopsychology is a theory of the relationship between humans and nature. Ecopsychology is a focus of interest within Division 34 (Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. We will explore the impact of people's relationships with the natural world, which includes land, waterways, plants, and animals. Different cultures will be studied as we explore people's relationships with nature. The significance of the ways in which people connect or disconnect with nature will be studied in relation to the effect on one's mental (and physical) health, behaviors, and worldviews. This is a writing intensive course that meets the requirement for a Group II 700 level / writing intensive course for the Psychology major. Within the Department of Psychology we have the three courses of Counseling, Health Psychology, and Psychology of Happiness, that address factors related to one's overall well-being. This course has an ecological context in which psychological health, the health of the earth, and culture are studied; this course complements those three courses. Ecotherapy, which is applied Ecopsychology, will be explored through empirical studies and other important writings. The Ecopsychology course is also part of the interdisciplinary Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor at UNH.