TY - JOUR
T1 - SARS-Cov-2 and environmental protection
T2 - A collective psychology agenda for environmental psychology research
AU - Reese, Gerhard
AU - Hamann, Karen R S
AU - Heidbreder, Lea
AU - Loy, Laura S
AU - Menzel, Claudia
AU - Neubert, Sebastian
AU - Tröger, Josephine
AU - Wullenkord, Marlis
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - While the virus SARS-CoV-2 spreads all over the world, most countries have taken severe measures to protect their citizens and slow down the further spread of the disease COVID-19. These measures affect individuals, communities, cities, countries, and the entire planet. In this paper, we propose that the tremendous consequences of the corona crisis invite environmental psychology to focus more strongly on research questions that address major societal challenges from a collective psychology perspective. In particular, we stress that the corona crisis may affect how people appraise – and potentially respond to – the looming climate crisis. By consistently pointing out systemic links and their human factor, environmental psychology can become central to a scientific agenda of a sustainable ‘post-corona society’. In order to provide a framework for future research towards a sustainable societal transformation, we build on the Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action (SIMPEA) and extend its scope to understand people's responses following the corona crisis. The model allows predictions of previously not explicitly included concepts of place attachment, nature connectedness, basic psychological needs, and systems thinking. It may serve as a guiding framework for a better understanding of the transformation towards a sustainable future.
AB - While the virus SARS-CoV-2 spreads all over the world, most countries have taken severe measures to protect their citizens and slow down the further spread of the disease COVID-19. These measures affect individuals, communities, cities, countries, and the entire planet. In this paper, we propose that the tremendous consequences of the corona crisis invite environmental psychology to focus more strongly on research questions that address major societal challenges from a collective psychology perspective. In particular, we stress that the corona crisis may affect how people appraise – and potentially respond to – the looming climate crisis. By consistently pointing out systemic links and their human factor, environmental psychology can become central to a scientific agenda of a sustainable ‘post-corona society’. In order to provide a framework for future research towards a sustainable societal transformation, we build on the Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action (SIMPEA) and extend its scope to understand people's responses following the corona crisis. The model allows predictions of previously not explicitly included concepts of place attachment, nature connectedness, basic psychological needs, and systems thinking. It may serve as a guiding framework for a better understanding of the transformation towards a sustainable future.
KW - Corona crisis
KW - collective psychology
KW - Place attachment
KW - Social identity
KW - Systems thinking
KW - transformation
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101444
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101444
M3 - Article
SN - 1522-9610
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
M1 - 101444
ER -