No matter what kind of psychology you’re studying and what career goals you pursue, the principles learned in a psychology major can be used to advance sustainability. We’re two psychology professors, one of cognition and the other applied, who use our skills every day to build climate resilience for all. In addition to teaching, we’ve both taken on roles at our universities to drive institutional and systemic changes, changes that affect thousands of students, faculty, and staff. You, too, can leverage what you’ve learned about human thought and behavior to drive sustainable action in your communities.
While psychologists have a toolbox full of skills that can be applied, here are just a few key examples to get you thinking.
Social norms
Humans are social creatures. We thrive on positive interactions with others, for in our species’ evolution, individual survival depended upon cooperation and good relationships. Though the ways we live have changed dramatically over time, we retain an internal drive to fit in by following the behaviors we observe in those around us and which we believe are acceptable to our social group. Unfortunately for sustainability, we live in a consumer society where lifestyles producing lots of waste and damaging the climate that we all depend upon are not only considered normal, but admirable and something to strive for (e.g., giant houses, gas-guzzling cars, exotic vacations, foods that have traveled long distances). A growing movement, often led by young people and people of color, is offering a new vision of a rewarding life. They are setting new social norms by organizing for climate and environmental justice, engaging in activism, and living more sustainably in their day to day lives (e.g., learning to repair things rather than buy new, growing some of their own food, spending more time in nature). You can join this movement and help define new social norms for a sustainable, environmentally-just future.
Context
In your general psychology course, you were probably introduced to both behaviorism and cognitive psychology. At the cross-section of these two subfields of psychology is an important truth for sustainability: much of the time behavior is not driven by conscious thinking but instead by what the situational context makes rewarding or easy. Because making decisions takes a lot of cognitive effort, many daily behaviors are carried out on autopilot, without conscious consideration of the impacts or the alternatives. Instead, our actions tend to follow the path of least resistance (e.g., jumping into the car out of habit, rather than biking on a beautiful day). Because the world around us tends to make unsustainable options the easiest (and marketers want us to believe they are more socially desirable), it takes more thought and effort to behave in ways that support sustainability. Many people are not able to give the extra thought or effort, and some are not willing. Rather than trying to get people to think more sustainably, which is a challenge in our information-saturated world, it is often more effective to change the situational context and make sustainability an easier and more accessible option. This can be done with large-scale infrastructure shifts (e.g., cities building off-street bike lanes and bike fixit stations that make bike commuting easy) or through policy (e.g., financial incentives for renewable energy, or encouraging businesses to eliminate plastic packaging). Your school district or campus makes sustainability easier by offering compost bins for food waste, featuring climate-friendly meals in the cafeteria, or subsidizing tickets for local public transit. You can support these systems-level changes by joining a campus committee, or by attending a city council meeting or other local policy-setting meeting. You can also change the situational context in your everyday life, by setting up a home composter, putting reusable bags where you can see them as you leave for grocery shopping, keeping your bike tuned up so it’s more fun to ride, and many other large and small ways.
Identity
If someone asks “Who are you?”, you are likely to reply: student; friend; someone’s child. You might also have thought: bike rider, volunteer, and psychology major. Examine your water bottle or computer. They likely display logos for your favorite bagel shop, band, or political candidate, signaling to others who you are, your preferences, roles and relationships, and beliefs: your identity. Our identities drive what we pay attention to and how we react to information. Given how unique people are, you can imagine how different deeply held identities influence responses to new information. When spreading the word about sustainability, it is imperative not to assume everyone is compelled by the same things you are. When engaging people with diverse identities, be sure to understand how their identities might connect to climate action (e.g., “make fishing great again” and “save the whales” will hit differently for hunting and fishing enthusiasts versus environmentalists; both goals may inspire climate action, albeit for different identities). Also, finding an umbrella identity (e.g., students for drinkable water!) can help different people rally around the same goal.
Leading collective action
Addressing climate change, which is an enormous goal, benefits from joining forces with others in a coordinated way. To create bigger and faster change, you can influence and support family and friends, organize and volunteer in your community and workplace, attend demonstrations, or engage in the political process. Getting a group to work together for change takes particular skills which you can learn. Articulate a vision for the future and work with passion. Build trust by knowing the issues thoroughly and demonstrate humility and kindness. Encourage others and celebrate their successes.
Most of what we have learned through psychological science can be helpful for unpacking barriers to sustainable, environmentally-just, climate-healing action and for generating creative solutions for an inclusive, sustainable future. Solving climate change and standing up for environmental justice will take effort by people in every discipline inside and outside of psychology. We encourage you to embrace the challenge as part of how you define yourself, and your job, family, neighborhood, and networks.
About the authors
Christie Manning, PhD, (she/her) is the director of sustainability and faculty member in environmental studies at Macalester College in Minnesota. Christie has a bachelor’s degree in human factors engineering from Tufts University and a PhD in cognitive and biological psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her recent coauthored publications include a report from the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica, Mental Health and our Changing Climate, and a 2021 textbook, Psychology for Sustainability 5e. Her research focuses on how people respond to the climate crisis, and she is particularly interested in the psychological circumstances that motivate community-level action. In her personal life, Christie likes to ride her bike, learn about trees, and spend time with her two favorite climate justice activists—her daughters.
Elise Amel, PhD, (she/her) earned her PhD in industrial-organizational psychology from Purdue University and has been teaching at the University of St. Thomas for over two decades. Amel is an award-winning professor of psychology; chair of the department of earth, environment, & society; past-president for the Society of Environmental, Population, & Conservation Psychologyopens in new window; and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. She founded and directs the St. Thomas Office of Sustainability Initiatives and has successfully led efforts at the University of St. Thomas to create a culture of sustainability leadership through systems-level changes. She has coauthored the textbook, Psychology for Sustainability 5e.
