Can I add there will be a strong psychological input to our climate change
and violence workshop 5 (Friday 18 March York St John university) including
our very own Crisis Forum associate Prof. Colin Feltham - and with a mind
to exactly the human impacts which Steve persuasively and cogently reminds
us of below.
Hope some of you will come and join us!
http://www.crisis-forum.org.uk/events/workshop5_programme.php
mark
on 29/1/11 2:57 pm, Wright, Steve at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> It is probably worth engaging with the Psychoanalytic community sooner rather
> than later although there are many more communities of organised knowledge
> who have valuable perceptions, not least informatics groups who can enlighten
> us about the quality of information processing during a crisis. But if we need
> wider participation then maybe we need fewer doctors and more patients. As I
> write, I am acutely aware that climate change wil not only take the form of
> weird winds, rising sea levels and shrinking glaciers but spasm wars about
> unmet needs and the injustice of elites stealing the means of survival for
> themselves whilst poorer people go to the wall. In that sense rising food
> prices are a symptom and we only have to look to Egypt and Tunisia to see the
> scenes that could dominate our practical failures to deal with climate
> change: restless riot squads, tanks on the streets, burning buildings and
> politicians mouthing platitudes.... So at some stage us who remain as yet
> largely sheltered from crisis need to find a means of engaging with those who
> are already enduring shock wave after shockwave of bloody consequences.... But
> we should not be surprised at the emerging tactics of state parties attempting
> o induce mass helplessness by switching of the internet and mobile phones.
> Future scenarios will involve states switching off other states cities...maybe
> the Psychological communities can help us cope with that one? I hope so,,,,
>
>
>
> Steve
>
> ________________________________
> From: Discussion list for the Crisis Forum [[log in to unmask]] on
> behalf of Jon Barrett [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 28 January 2011 23:32
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: The psychoanalyst community - new members for the CRISIS FORUM
> list?
>
> Torsten, I agree that such an invitation would add constructively to the
> discussions of this forum.
>
> I also belong to the Conservation Psychology listserve, as I think do one or
> two other members of this forum (and also some of the speakers and delegates
> at the IOP conference you speak of). However, participation in this CP
> listserve is largely North American with a small amount of input from the UK,
> Australia and elsewhere and is extremely wide-ranging in the conservation
> topics raised (i.e much broader than psychological responses to climate
> change).
>
> But I don't know of a 'crises psychology' or even a conservation psychology
> listserve in the UK. Yet the interests of the largely UK based psychologists
> and psychotherapists at the IOP conference would seem to be very much in line
> with our own and I suspect that inviting those with a professional
> psychological perspective to add to the range of specialisms and interests of
> members of this forum would of mutual benefit.
>
> So, seconded!
>
> Jon
>
> On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 6:49 PM, Torsten Mark Kowal
> <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> Colleagues:
>
> In the early autumn last year I went to a 2-day weekend conference of the
> Institute of Psychoanalysis
> http://www.psychoanalysis.org.uk<http://www.psychoanalysis.org.uk/>, to hear
> how the IOP is taking on board the concerns raised by climate change for
> mental health, and how they analyse denial as a psychological phenomenon. You
> can see the topics covered, and who the speakers and discussants were, below.
>
> The event was well-attended, with substantial and serious discussion. As part
> of the follow-up, the conference organisers contacted the participants for
> suggestions about what actions would benefit the IOP's outreach into this
> critical domain.
>
> The Proceedings of the event are to be published and will be found here:
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engaging-Climate-Change-Psychoanalytic-Perspectives/dp
> /0415667607
>
> It struck me that, the psychoanalysis community could have a lot to offer to
> CRISIS FORUM http://www.crisis-forum.org.uk<http://www.crisis-forum.org.uk/>.
> At the same time, engaging with CF would lead this group to engage with the
> views from the broad branches of mature opinion on this topic that's available
> across multiple disciplines from CF members. I propose writing to Marjory
> Goodall (see her email below) so that she then invites the membership of the
> Institute, and the conference participants from outside IOP, to sign up for
> CF's mailing list, using the list to continue to discuss the topics raised at
> the event.
>
> This would enrich the CF community and provide an opportunity for a wide new
> set of topics to be covered, injecting 'new blood' into CF and likely
> deepening our analyses, as well as providing a "big tent" for this specialist
> community to explore topics and their theses.
>
> As well, I would suggest that she proposes to the participants and discussants
> at the event (from the wider public, universities and NGOs etc. outside IOP's
> membership). This potentially could further broaden and increase CF's
> membership with a further set of people and views.
>
> However, I am not the list owner, and I don't feel that I can make this
> invitation to a potentially large number of new entrants to CF, without
> communication to the list.
>
> So I'd like to ask if there is support for this suggestion across CF, as well
> as objections. If a sense accumulates on the list against this idea by the end
> of next weekend, or apathy reigns, I'll desist.
>
> Bob Ward and David Wasdell were the CF members that I know attended; Bob and
> David, if you have a moment to advise us on your views, I'm sure your opinions
> would be valued.
>
> With regards to the topics this would lead CF to cover in more depth, I refer
> you to a paper for the Four<http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/4degrees/programme.php>
> Degrees and Beyond Conference<http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/4degrees/programme.php>
> in Sept. 2009 titled Psychological Adaptation to the Threats and Stresses of a
> Four Degree
> World<http://www.clivehamilton.net.au/cms/media/documents/articles/oxford_four
> _degrees_paper_final.pdf>, written by Clive Hamilton (Professor of Public
> Ethics at Australian National University) and Tim Kasser (Professor of
> psychology in the Dept. of Psychology at Knox College, Illinois, USA) that
> states:
>
> "At present most governments and environmental organisations adopt a Œdon¹t
> scare the horses¹ approach, fearful that exposing people fully to the
> scientific predictions will immobilise them. With climate scientists now
> stressing the need for extremely urgent action and spelling out more
> catastrophic impacts if action is inadequate, this now seems to us a dangerous
> approach to undertake". See here if links don't work:
> http://www.clivehamilton.net.au/cms/media/documents/articles/oxford_four_degre
> es_paper_final.pdf
>
> And Aaran Stibbe's truthful though alarming presentation:
> http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/lti/projects/religionandclimatechange/futuree
> thics/workshop3/workshop3reports/starterpapers/fileuploadmax10mb,166350,en.pdf
> and then a direct medical metaphor for the planet
> http://www.climate-change-emergency-medical-response.org/state-of-the-climate.
> html
>
> For in-depth information, then the American Psychological Association's report
> Psychology and Global Climate Change: Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon
> and Set of Challenges is here:
> http://www.apa.org/science/about/publications/climate-change.aspx
>
> Some questions:
>
> * Isn't it the case that humankind will now be severely challenged
> psychologically over this decade and the next onwards, as we come to terms
> with the spiralling out of control of our climates, leading us to states of
> depression, guilt and anxiety, and prone to mal-adaptive coping strategies?
> * What are our own strategies for personally staying sane, under the
> pressure of knowing how our fates even in developed countries are becoming
> sealed?
> * What psychological support do communities that are already highly
> vulnerable to climate change need (in developing and developed countries), to
> properly face a future now certainly clouded by the constant increase in
> weather/climate chaos, leading to repeated onslaughts of meteorological events
> of greater energy, frequency and intensity?
> * Can we overcome the media's fear of the denialists, and turn the tables,
> so that it becomes legitimate again (within scientific bounds) to link severe
> weather with ongoing, accepted climate change?
> * Isn't it the case that denial as a phenomenon needs to be systematically
> unpicked even further, and tools found to tackle it's roots, before collective
> denial (here, in the USA, in China, everywhere!) results in further states of
> paralysis, business as usual emissions, and deepens our failure of
> responsibility to the generations from now on being born? How important is
> mortality salience in blame-shifting, and providing fuel for the denialists'
> defence of their worldview?
> * What are our strategies for dealing decisively with denial across the
> board, to reverse the trends in public attitudes, and win support for the
> extreme emissions reductions that will be needed?
> * Are we losing, or have we lost, an unwinnable battle? If so, what do we do
> about that?
>
> I'd welcome contact via Skype or email with CF members who are interested in
> the psychological issues raised in adapting to the impacts of climate change
> (expected or already realised), and to the impacts of related crises & trends
> (i.e. biodiversity loss, food prices).
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Mark Kowal
>
> Climate-Insight: http://www.climate-insight.com
> <http://www.climate-insight.com/>Tels: UK mob: (0)782-759-2729
> E: Torsten Mark Kowal <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> >
> Skype ID: tmkowal Web: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tmkowal
>
> Engaging with Climate Change: Psychoanalytic Perspectives
>
> The Institute of Psychoanalysis, Byron House, 112a Shirland Road, London, W9
> 2EQ <http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=W9+2EQ>
> Saturday 9.00-6.00pm, Sunday 9.00-5.00pm
>
> How does our knowledge of climate change affect our sense of identity? What
> might underlie issues of connection with, and disconnection from, the natural
> world? How do we understand the denial of climate change? Speakers from the
> field of psychoanalysis explore these and other questions with scientists,
> environmentalists, writers, educationalists and policy makers. The conference
> aims to achieve a better understanding through interdisciplinary exchange.
>
> Saturday 16th October 2010
>
> 09.00am: Registration and coffee
>
> 09.30am: Welcoming remarks, David Bell (President, Institute of
> Psychoanalysis), Tim Kasser, Sally Weintrobe
>
> 10.00am: ³Great Expectations: some psychic consequences of the discovery of
> personal ecological debt", Rosemary Randall see
> http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/eco.2009.0034, with discussants
> Margaret Rustin and Bob Ward. Followed by a discussion
>
> 11.40am: Coffee, Cakes and Book Displays
>
> 12.10am: ³The myth of apathy², Renee Lertzman, with discussants Irma
> Brenman-Pick and Erik Bichard. Discussion
>
> 13.50pm: Lunch
>
> 14.50pm: ³Different structures of feeling in relation to the natural world²,
> Michael Rustin, with discussants Jon Alexander and Ted Benton. Followed by a
> general discussion
>
> 16.30pm: Tea, Cake and Book Displays
>
> 17.00pm: Breakout groups
>
> 18.00pm: Wine, nibbles and wind down
>
> Sunday 17th October 2010
>
> 09.00am: Summary of themes raised on Saturday, discussed by Lothar Bayer and
> Jeremy Gaines
>
> 09.30am: ³Engaging with the natural world and with human nature², Sally
> Weintrobe; discussants Tom Crompton and Mike Hannis. Discussion
>
> 11.10pm: Coffee, cakes and book display
>
> 11.30pm: ²Unconscious obstacles to caring for the planet², John Keene, with
> discussants Michael Brearley and Bob HInshelwood. Followed by a general
> discussion.
>
> 13.10pm: Lunch
>
> 14.00pm: ³Climate change denial in a perverse culture", Paul Hoggett, with
> discussants Stanley Cohen and John Steiner. Followed by a general discussion.
>
> 15.40pm: Tea, cake and book display
>
> 16.00pm: Plenary
>
> 17.00 Close of Conference
>
>
> Speakers:
>
> Dr Rosemary Randall is founder and director of Cambridge Carbon Footprint, a
> Cambridge based charity that uses approaches drawn from psychotherapy, social
> marketing and community work to engage diverse audiences in work on climate
> change. She is the author of ŒA New Climate for Psychotherapy¹¹, an
> exploration of resistance to action on climate change and of ŒCarbon
> Conversations¹ CCF¹s handbook for their short courses exploring how to halve
> your carbon footprint.
>
> Professor Michael Rustin is Head of Department of Sociology at the University
> of East London from 1974-88 and Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences from
> 1991-2001. Visiting Fellow at the School of Sciences, Institute for Advanced
> Study, Princeton in 1984-85. His current roles are primarily in research and
> research supervision, and as academic link between the University and the
> Tavistock Clinic, where there are over 25 UEL-accredited postgraduate courses.
>
> Professor Paul Hoggett is Professor of Politics at the University of the West
> of England in Bristol. Also a psychoanalytic psychotherapist trained at the
> Lincoln Clinic and Centre for Psychotherapy. He is an experienced group
> relations consultant.
>
> Mr John Keene is a Training Psychoanalyst of The Institute of Psychoanalysis
> and in private practice in London and St Albans. After commencing studies as a
> geologist he changed to humanities and first encountered psychoanalysis Œlive¹
> through Group Relations training events. His psychoanalytical interest in
> group, institutional and political processes developed while working at the
> Tavistock Clinic. He is an experienced organizational consultant.
>
> Dr Renee Lertzman is a senior research fellow at Portland State University.
> She received her PhD from the Cardiff School of Social Sciences at Cardiff
> University and has a MA in Communication Studies from University of North
> Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work is concerned with the relations of
> psychoanalytic research and theory with contemporary environmental crises. She
> is special editor of Environment and Sustainability for Psychoanalysis,
> Culture and Society and is working on her book, The Myth of Apathy.
>
> Mrs Sally Weintrobe is a Fellow of The Institute of Psychoanalysis and Chairs
> its Scientific Committee. She was formerly a Member of Senior Teaching Staff
> at the Tavistock Clinic and an Hon Senior Lecturer at University College
> London in the Dept for Psychoanalytic Studies. She has written and lectured on
> identity and entitlement attitudes, grievance, prejudice and greed. Her most
> recent paper was on runaway greed and climate change denial.
>
> Discussants:
>
> · Jon Alexander, Conservation Economy
>
> · Dr Lothar Bayer, Psychoanalyst, Member of the German Psychoanalytic
> Association (DPV)
>
> · Ted Benton, Professor of Sociology, University of Essex
>
> · Erik Bichard, Professor of Regeneration and Sustainable Development, Salford
> Un
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