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Social Psychology of Sustainability
Social Psychology of Sustainability
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Social Psychology of Sustainability
In the 1960s, the world’s population was around 3 billion people. By 2011, the population had risen to 7 billion. Currently, the population is around 7.9 billion peopleADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0066-4308″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Evans”,”given”:”Gary W”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Annual review of psychology”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2019″]]},”page”:”449-474″,”publisher”:”Annual Reviews”,”title”:”Projected behavioral impacts of global climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”70″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=1fac70f0-94b4-4c4d-8bce-8360e937a8f4″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Evans, 2019)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Evans, 2019)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Evans, 2019)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Evans, 2019). Accompanying the increase in population has been global climate change which is majorly characterized by global warming. As a result of climate change, glacial cover, ice sheets, sea ice, and snow cover have been reducing. On the other hand, humidity, temperatures over land, sea surface temperatures, poleward migration of species, and shifting of tree lines have been increasingADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”1433810662″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Doherty”,”given”:”Thomas J”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”American Psychologist”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”4″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”page”:”265″,”publisher”:”American Psychological Association”,”title”:”The psychological impacts of global climate change.”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”66″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=77df5c62-314d-4d18-b6ba-f5429e7e971d”]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Doherty & Clayton, 2011)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Doherty & Clayton, 2011)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Doherty & Clayton, 2011)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Doherty & Clayton, 2011). The concept of climate change has attracted a lot of attention because of its effect on the planet’s sustainability. As a result of the relevance of climate change as a topic, various models have been used to study it and record findings in scholarly literature. One important model is the psychological model. Social psychology defines how social relations, social influence, and social thinking can be used to explain perceptions about climate change, effects of climate change, and reactions by human beings to mitigate climate change.
Although climate change has been proven through research, the perceptions of human beings about it tend to be biased. The general population tends to be familiar with the concept of global warming and climate change. However, their belief in its existence and extent greatly varies due to personal experiences and availability heuristicsADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Leiserowitz”,”given”:”Anthony”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Smith”,”given”:”Nicholas”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Marlon”,”given”:”Jennifer R”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”title”:”American teens’ knowledge of climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”5″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=84bedd9f-da67-4d49-bfda-156ab86029d6″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Leiserowitz et al., 2011). When the population is experiencing fair weather or cold temperatures, they tend to perceive climate change as an existent-phenomena or having very little impact due to its slow rate. However, individuals’ perceptions dramatically shift when they experience extreme weather conditions such as extreme temperatures or increased flooding. Therefore, the phenomena of climate change seem more real when people can directly perceive the effects.
When individuals experience the effects of climate change, they tend to react in certain ways. This means that their reaction to climate change can be explained from a psychological perspective. One of the consequences of climate change is the displacement of communities. Displacement can occur due to sudden events such as floods which force people to evacuate from their places of residence. When such events occur, the culture of communities is greatly affected. Because people have unique ties with their place of origin and communities, their identity is also affected by displacementADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0036-8075″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Sherbinin”,”given”:”Alex”,”non-dropping-particle”:”De”,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Castro”,”given”:”Marcia”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Gemenne”,”given”:”Francois”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Cernea”,”given”:”Michael M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Adamo”,”given”:”Susana”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Fearnside”,”given”:”P M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Krieger”,”given”:”Gary”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Lahmani”,”given”:”Sarah”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Oliver-Smith”,”given”:”Anthony”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Pankhurst”,”given”:”Alula”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Science”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”6055″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”page”:”456-457″,”publisher”:”American Association for the Advancement of Science”,”title”:”Preparing for resettlement associated with climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”334″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=c63bbed2-5d0d-46a7-a17e-d53b1662b323″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(De Sherbinin et al., 2011). For example, extreme weather conditions, especially in third-world countries, can lead to an influx of refugees in neighboring countries. These refugees tend to live in camps where they receive support in terms of food aid. However, the camps tend to be unorganized and without a social structureADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0887-6185″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Anxiety Disorders”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”102263″,”publisher”:”Elsevier”,”title”:”Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”74″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=fe0ccd74-56a7-4792-acc2-d86db8e716e7″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Clayton, 2020). The people living in such conditions are forced to survive every day of their lives. Living in such conditions, therefore, becomes very traumatic.
While some individuals experience trauma, others result in conflict and violence. There is a significant body of research that has shown a correlation between violence and high temperatures. This correlation is evidenced by higher aggression, violence, and assaults rates during warmer years, warmer cities, and warmer seasons. In some cases, the conflict begins during an extremely hot season and continues for several months or years. An example of this can be seen in third-world countries, especially in the sub-Saharan region, whose communities depend on pastoralismADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0022-4537″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Schmitt”,”given”:”Michael T”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Neufeld”,”given”:”Scott D”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Mackay”,”given”:”Caroline M L”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Dys-Steenbergen”,”given”:”Odilia”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Social Issues”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”123-135″,”title”:”The perils of explaining climate inaction in terms of psychological barriers”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”76″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=745cf2ed-190c-4852-a79b-6766a2e995d6”]},{“id”:”ITEM-2″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0146-1672″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Fischer”,”given”:”Ronald”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Vliert”,”given”:”Evert”,”non-dropping-particle”:”Van de”,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin”,”id”:”ITEM-2″,”issue”:”8″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”page”:”1031-1041″,”publisher”:”Sage Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA”,”title”:”Does climate undermine subjective well-being? A 58-nation study”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”37″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=65f2770c-2a6d-4ee5-b5f6-9049f4929773″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Fischer & Van de Vliert, 2011; Schmitt et al., 2020)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Fischer & Van de Vliert, 2011; Schmitt et al., 2020)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Fischer & Van de Vliert, 2011; Schmitt et al., 2020)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Fischer & Van de Vliert, 2011; Schmitt et al., 2020). The conflicts usually start due to increased competition for scarce resources such as watering points for their animals and grazing fields. When such conflicts are not successfully resolved, violence ensues, sometimes necessitating the intervention of the local authorities or even international parties. Early intervention may prevent the emergence of an expensive civil war occurring during periods of hardship.
To avoid such consequences, the global community is responsible for contributing to a sustainable future by checking climate change. This responsibility can only be achieved when individuals play their roles. However, studies have shown that commitment to action is heavily influenced by comprehensionADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0887-6185″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Anxiety Disorders”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”102263″,”publisher”:”Elsevier”,”title”:”Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”74″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=fe0ccd74-56a7-4792-acc2-d86db8e716e7″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Clayton, 2020). For individuals to commit to a sustainable future, they must comprehend what climate change is and the effects of climate change. Comprehension makes belief possible. It is only after individuals believe the existence of climate change that a shift occurs from understanding climate change as a concept to accepting climate change as a real phenomenon with real consequences. After believing, individuals need to constantly remember the truths and facts about climate change and its effects on sustainabilityADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”1935-990X”,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Nielsen”,”given”:”Kristian S”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Stern”,”given”:”Paul C”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Dietz”,”given”:”Thomas”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Capstick”,”given”:”Stuart”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Whitmarsh”,”given”:”Lorraine”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”American Psychologist”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2021″]]},”page”:”130″,”publisher”:”American Psychological Association”,”title”:”How psychology can help limit climate change.”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”76″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=06a31bbb-c7c2-47c4-ad0d-7ecf0c7d9af4″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Nielsen et al., 2021). Remembering ensures behavior is modified. For example, when an individual chooses to cycle to work, it begins with comprehending the effect of burning fuels on the environment, believing that carbon emissions are harmful to the environment and personal responsibility to sustainability, and the ability to constantly remember so that they can choose cycling instead of driving every time the opportunity presents itself.
There are various ways human beings have attempted to mitigate climate change to contribute to a sustainable future. One of the ways that this has been achieved is through the use of technologies or unconventional technologies. For example, the recent past has seen a shift from bulbs that use filaments to bulbs that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The shift in technology is considered to be more efficient in terms of reducing energy consumption. This is an attempt to reduce climate change since energy production is one of the contributors to global warming. The use of unconventional technologies refers to applying existing technologies in new waysADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0022-4537″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Schmitt”,”given”:”Michael T”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Neufeld”,”given”:”Scott D”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Mackay”,”given”:”Caroline M L”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Dys-Steenbergen”,”given”:”Odilia”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Social Issues”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”123-135″,”title”:”The perils of explaining climate inaction in terms of psychological barriers”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”76″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=745cf2ed-190c-4852-a79b-6766a2e995d6″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Schmitt et al., 2020)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Schmitt et al., 2020)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Schmitt et al., 2020)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Schmitt et al., 2020). For example, the concept of solar energy is increasingly being integrated as one of the main sources of energy. Electric cars are also being produced and utilized at greater frequencies as compared to the past.
Psychology can also be used in the mitigation of climate change. The principle of choice architecture suggests that people make choices based on the choices suggested to them. Even though human beings may feel as if they have control over their choices, the choice architecture theory suggests that human beings will choose choices based on the choices presented to them have been presented to them. The choice architecture theory utilizes the assumption that human beings are rational because they tend to make decisions that either maximize pleasure or reduce pain. Therefore, when one choice appears more costly than another available option, individuals tend to choose the least costly one. The choice theory can be applied by setting taxes high for fuel and reducing the taxes for the supply of bicyclesADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0887-6185″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Anxiety Disorders”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”102263″,”publisher”:”Elsevier”,”title”:”Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”74″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=fe0ccd74-56a7-4792-acc2-d86db8e716e7”]},{“id”:”ITEM-2″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0066-4308″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Evans”,”given”:”Gary W”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Annual review of psychology”,”id”:”ITEM-2″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2019″]]},”page”:”449-474″,”publisher”:”Annual Reviews”,”title”:”Projected behavioral impacts of global climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”70″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=1fac70f0-94b4-4c4d-8bce-8360e937a8f4″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; Evans, 2019)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; Evans, 2019)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; Evans, 2019)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Clayton, 2020; Evans, 2019). In such a situation, the high fuel taxes would discourage a portion from purchasing vehicles since they will not afford the high costs. On the other hand, more people might tend to buy bicycles because of increased affordability.
Other applications of choice architecture theory include city planning and policy formulation. City planning describes the positioning of infrastructure such as roads within a city. For example, some cities have roads with bike lanes, while others do not have lanes for cyclists integrated into the infrastructure. The result of such planning decisions is that those cities with lanes for cyclists tend to have less congestion by motorists due to the high number of people who commute through cycling. In contrast, those cities which do not have cycling infrastructure may force ore people to the default choice of doing nothing when confronted with a cycling decisionADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0036-8075″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Sherbinin”,”given”:”Alex”,”non-dropping-particle”:”De”,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Castro”,”given”:”Marcia”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Gemenne”,”given”:”Francois”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Cernea”,”given”:”Michael M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Adamo”,”given”:”Susana”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Fearnside”,”given”:”P M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Krieger”,”given”:”Gary”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Lahmani”,”given”:”Sarah”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Oliver-Smith”,”given”:”Anthony”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Pankhurst”,”given”:”Alula”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Science”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”6055″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”page”:”456-457″,”publisher”:”American Association for the Advancement of Science”,”title”:”Preparing for resettlement associated with climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”334″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=c63bbed2-5d0d-46a7-a17e-d53b1662b323”]},{“id”:”ITEM-2″,”itemData”:{“author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Leiserowitz”,”given”:”Anthony”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Smith”,”given”:”Nicholas”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Marlon”,”given”:”Jennifer R”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication”,”id”:”ITEM-2″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”title”:”American teens’ knowledge of climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”5″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=84bedd9f-da67-4d49-bfda-156ab86029d6″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011; Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011; Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(De Sherbinin et al., 2011; Leiserowitz et al., 2011)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(De Sherbinin et al., 2011; Leiserowitz et al., 2011). On the other hand, policies operate based on reinforcement and punishment models. To discourage the burning of carbon fuels, authorities may implement and enforce policies that charge congestion fees. Since charges are undesirable, people will avoid driving just so that they can avoid the charges. Choice architecture, therefore, has a very important application when it comes to the development of a sustainable future.
The provision of feedback can also trigger action to mitigate climate. When people consume energy, they usually receive feedback in terms of bills. However, the bills in themselves are not sufficient enough to motivate consumers to control their usage. Different elements can be added to make users more conscious about their usage. One way this can be achieved is through the provision of charts that compare usage among neighbors in terms of efficiency and the standards of the most efficient users. Since human beings tend to be competitive, when the goal is presented as being energy efficient, they will tend to make better choices in line with sustainable consumption of energyADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0887-6185″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Journal of Anxiety Disorders”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″]]},”page”:”102263″,”publisher”:”Elsevier”,”title”:”Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”74″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=fe0ccd74-56a7-4792-acc2-d86db8e716e7”]},{“id”:”ITEM-2″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”0036-8075″,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Sherbinin”,”given”:”Alex”,”non-dropping-particle”:”De”,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Castro”,”given”:”Marcia”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Gemenne”,”given”:”Francois”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Cernea”,”given”:”Michael M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Adamo”,”given”:”Susana”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Fearnside”,”given”:”P M”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Krieger”,”given”:”Gary”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Lahmani”,”given”:”Sarah”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Oliver-Smith”,”given”:”Anthony”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Pankhurst”,”given”:”Alula”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”Science”,”id”:”ITEM-2″,”issue”:”6055″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]},”page”:”456-457″,”publisher”:”American Association for the Advancement of Science”,”title”:”Preparing for resettlement associated with climate change”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”334″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=c63bbed2-5d0d-46a7-a17e-d53b1662b323″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Clayton, 2020; De Sherbinin et al., 2011)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Clayton, 2020; De Sherbinin et al., 2011). When feedback is provided, even simple rewards such as smiley emoticons for efficient users or frowning emoticons for users who have not met the sustainable goals can be a great psychological influence on sustainability.
The bottom line of sustainable decisions is realizing the collective identity of human beings and the need for their integration. Every person has an influence on another based on how they interact with the environment. When one country produces more pollutants and emissions due to loose regulations, the entire global population and ecosystem feel the effects. Understanding how individual actions affect others is crucial in influencing behaviorADDIN CSL_CITATION {“citationItems”:[{“id”:”ITEM-1″,”itemData”:{“ISSN”:”1935-990X”,”author”:[{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Nielsen”,”given”:”Kristian S”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Clayton”,”given”:”Susan”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Stern”,”given”:”Paul C”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Dietz”,”given”:”Thomas”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Capstick”,”given”:”Stuart”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””},{“dropping-particle”:””,”family”:”Whitmarsh”,”given”:”Lorraine”,”non-dropping-particle”:””,”parse-names”:false,”suffix”:””}],”container-title”:”American Psychologist”,”id”:”ITEM-1″,”issue”:”1″,”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2021″]]},”page”:”130″,”publisher”:”American Psychological Association”,”title”:”How psychology can help limit climate change.”,”type”:”article-journal”,”volume”:”76″},”uris”:[“http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=06a31bbb-c7c2-47c4-ad0d-7ecf0c7d9af4″]}],”mendeley”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”,”plainTextFormattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”,”previouslyFormattedCitation”:”(Nielsen et al., 2021)”},”properties”:{“noteIndex”:0},”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}(Nielsen et al., 2021). This principle makes the foundation of the sustainability concept. Sustainability as a concept is defined as the efforts by current generations to meet their needs without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This is because the current generation affects future generations, just like how one individual affects others in the ecosystem.
References
ADDIN Mendeley Bibliography CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Clayton, S. (2020). Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 102263.
De Sherbinin, A., Castro, M., Gemenne, F., Cernea, M. M., Adamo, S., Fearnside, P. M., Krieger, G., Lahmani, S., Oliver-Smith, A., & Pankhurst, A. (2011). Preparing for resettlement associated with climate change. Science, 334(6055), 456–457.
Doherty, T. J., & Clayton, S. (2011). The psychological impacts of global climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 265.
Evans, G. W. (2019). Projected behavioral impacts of global climate change. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 449–474.
Fischer, R., & Van de Vliert, E. (2011). Does climate undermine subjective well-being? A 58-nation study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(8), 1031–1041.
Leiserowitz, A., Smith, N., & Marlon, J. R. (2011). American teens’ knowledge of climate change. Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, 5.
Nielsen, K. S., Clayton, S., Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Capstick, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2021). How psychology can help limit climate change. American Psychologist, 76(1), 130.
Schmitt, M. T., Neufeld, S. D., Mackay, C. M. L., & Dys-Steenbergen, O. (2020). The perils of explaining climate inaction in terms of psychological barriers. Journal of Social Issues, 76(1), 123–135.
Social Problems in Education
Social Problems in Education
Name:
Institution:
Education is a very important aspect as viewed in many societies. To many, being educated is a key to success. In America, it is necessary to be educated in order to attain full citizenship. The education systems are affected by the fast changing society. The society in which the education is taking place has its social values that dictate the behavior of the members. Change in social values in the society leads to a proportional change in education. It means that if the social values change negatively, the way education takes place also changes negatively. A positive change in social values impacts education positively. This essay will discuss the various social values that have affected the American education and how they have changed the education.
In the 1960s, there was a massive expansion of education in America. Enrollment for the education rose at a high rate with most children joining schools. This was as a result of government financing in the education sector (Torres, 1995). It meant that it was left to the parents to register their children in the schools incurring little or no cost. Over time, economic setbacks were experienced, and the government stopped financing the education. The economy became characterized by external debts. All groups in America suffered equal adjustments though one group felt the effects of the adjustments more than the other. The effect of poverty in acquiring education was felt national. Children from poor backgrounds dropped from school while those from rich families enjoyed the education (Torres, 1995).
Racism is another social value that has changed the face of education in America (Jonshee &Johnson, 2011).In most cases; the attainment of the black pupils appears to be behind the white counterparts in the schools. Although, the data that represents this argument is an improvement as compared to many years ago. Racism in schools doesn’t involve only attainment after education. Black students are more likely to be expelled completely from the schools before the main examination (Jonshee &Johnson, 2011).
Increased drug and substance abuse among youths has also changed the face of education. Those under the influence of drug tend to drop out of schools more frequently. The number of uneducated persons in the country continues increasing due to continued school dropping. Drug abuse is most common in colleges and universities in the United States of America. Increased drug abuse in schools has led to the loss of discipline among the students. Universities and colleges turn to raping zones, assaults and many other forms of crime (Ness & Lin, 2015).It becomes serious since drug and alcohol abuse is not restricted to any country including the United States of America. It has become easy for the young student to access drugs and uses them freely. The much-expected hopes in education thus fade slowly since the students become undisciplined and spoilt instead of going for knowledge.
The change in population diversity has increasingly affected the United States of America education. The American government tends to discourage immigration through the implementation of immigration based law. Though; there are a high number of immigrants flowing into the country. The high rate of immigration increases the population of the country. It leads to a low ratio of schools per the studying population (Barbour C, Barbour N.H &Scully, 2010).The country tries to balance the education services between the immigrants and the citizens. The level number of real citizens who are learned in the country hence depreciates as a result.
Globalization is another social value that has affected American education. The country now focuses on the activities of other nations and continents as a whole. The Americans have introduced international conferences in their schools. They compare their students with foreign students to determine whether they can take part in the global market (Barbour C, Barbour N.H & Scully, 2010).The comparison of the students in a way is a positive impact on the education in United States of America. The knowledge of the students is sharpened since they are encouraged to think broadly and compete with foreign students. The educational network is also extended to a higher level.
Technological advancement has boosted the educational system of the state. It has supported studies in schools and educational projects (Barbour C, Barbour N.H & Scully, 2010).Technological advancement in the modern days has enhanced communication between the students and their teachers. Students also attend lectures online and access reading materials that boost their learning. Media has become a tool that carries within itself entertainment and information. The ability to operate the technological devices such as computers and televisions has increased education outside the classrooms (Barbour C, Barbour N.H & Scully 2010).
Just like other nations, America is interested in spiritual and religious activities. It means religious and spiritual variables are another social value that has changed the face of education in the United States of America. Teachers are trained on different religious practices. School children grow up being taught the importance of religion and knowing what is good and what is bad (Barbour C, Barbour N.H & Scully 2010).Religious practices are of importance since they enhance projects that facilitate a multicultural classroom. Religious practices and beliefs have changed the face of education in the United States of America. The religious curriculum has been favored more than the science curriculum where there exists a conflict between evolution and creationism theories.
In conclusion, the changes in social values have had different effects on the face of the United States of American education. There are negative changes in social values that cause negative effects. Positive change in social values has changed the face of the education positively. Racism has negative effects on the face of education though; the education system is recovering from the high rate of racism during the colonial period.
References
Torres, Alberto. (1995): Education and Social Change in Latin America. James Nicholas Publishers.
Jonshee, Reva. Johnson, Lauri. (2011): Multicultural Education Policies in Canada and the United States. UBC Press.
Ness, Daniel. Lin, Chia-Ling. (2015): International Education: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Issues and Systems. Routledge.
Barbour, .C, Barbour, .N.H., and Scully, P.A. (2010, July 20): Forces Affecting Education in the Twenty-First Century. http://www.education.com/reference/article/forces-affect-education-twenty-first-century/
Social Networks and The Internet Shrink Our Understanding Of The World. Argue Your Position on This Statement
Social Networks and The Internet Shrink Our Understanding Of The World. Argue Your Position on This Statement
Name:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
IntroductionFor sure, social networks and internet have changed the world to a great extent. Depending on the position and perception of an individual, social media are a great thing or a disaster in the world today. Thus, one can easily attest to the fact that social media has either shrunk our understanding of the world or not. In reality, the effects of social network on our world perception is more beneficial in the somewhere in the middle. However, on my end, I opine that social networks and internet have expanded our understanding of the world (Afuah, 2003). However, as much as there are legitimate reasons about the expansion of the understanding of the world, there are concerns on how detrimental the networks have been on our lives, and the effects are likely to be clearer in future.
Against
Social Interactions
Social networks have expanded our understanding of the whole world and to begin with we have the effects of social network and internet on our interactions. With the invention of social networks, the number of individuals we interact with has increased over time (Kwak et al., 2010). In the recent past, our level of interaction was limited to individuals whom we knew in person, however, at the moment we can easily interact with individuals from different areas globally. This interaction enables us to gain knowledge on certain specific areas and activities of interest. This can easily be explained by the fact that you find an individual with thousands of friends on Facebook (Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe, 2007). Such a large number of individuals give you an opportunity to share ideas and opinions regarding different diverse issues.
Our understanding of issues in the world is expanded by the fact that there is no filter on communication of individuals. In the past, one had to speak to individuals directly for them to get their message passed, or they would get permission first before communicating to a large number of people (DEWING, 2010). For instance, in the past an individual had to write a letter to a newspaper or even pay for television broadcast but at the moment information is freely shared with no barriers and your information need not be censored.
Creativity
With the introduction of social networks and internet, the level of creativity of individuals has increased (Kwak et al., 2010). There has been a rapid uptake of digital content that consequently has opened unprecedented possibilities for users who are considered amateurs to create and distribute content hence rendering the media users’ producers. Often, the creativity is embraced through the original generation of content or remixing of available content (Perry-Smith and Shalley, 2003). Thus, users can boldly share information through platforms such as youtube.com and flickr.com and reach a broader network. The participation of the younger generation in the social media activity has expanded over time and thus they create and share their media in everyday life. Through the social media, sharing of creative content such as blogs, pictures, animations, digital collages and videos have become a significant part of livelihood. In the process, the creation of content and creativity involved has empowered individuals through them developing literacy and technical skills as well (Perry-Smith and Shalley, 2003).
The main predictors of wellbeing have been expanded through the development of a sense of aspiration, personal achievement and self-worth. Through the various social platforms, individuals get an opportunity to explore and experiment on different facets of their identity as well as reinforcing of those identities such as cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Through the exchange and creation of creative content, there has been some sense of community building that has been encouraged. Thus, the creative content is perceived to facilitate a sense of community, belonging and connection that hails from shared past. Collaborative creative content production can then give rise to a more intact sense of connection with others and ultimately give rise to strong communities. With the changes in personality of individuals and community it is automatic that the world perception of doing things also changes and in this case expanded to a greater level.
Individual Identity and Self-Expression
Social networks and internet are increasingly significant for identity of individuals. Through the positive effects on identity of persons, there has been an increased understanding of the world and its activities. Given the ability of the social networks to be customized and be experimented there is a chance for them to grow politically, ethnically, culturally and even realize their social identity. Through the social networks, younger people get the opportunity to work out their identity and status. They acquire knowledge on how to negotiate in public free from any regulation or coercion from other quarters. The processes of socialization presented by the social networks are essential in psychological development at the time when these individuals are consolidating their identities and striving for independence. With the psychological development of an individual, it is no doubt that their understanding of issues will be expanded as well as their comprehension of the world in general (Gackenbach, 2011).
Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships
Through strengthening of interpersonal skills, people get to understand different individuals and the reasons behind the differences. With these reasons in place, the understanding of different concepts in the world is thus expanded. The use of internet especially platforms such as email, instant messaging like WhatsApp, Gmail Chat assists in addressing the gap and obstacles than individuals may face in forming and maintaining positive social relationships. Through the social networks, our perceptions and impacts of long distance on relationships have changes significantly (Heaney and Israel, 2002). The complexities as well as immobility that is involved in the long-term relationships have been addressed. With this our perception on the long distance, relationships have been changed massively. Additionally, through the social networks, self-esteem of individuals gets boosted given their active participation in the different platforms. With the boost in self-esteem the perception of individuals on different issues is improved (Kirsch, 1995).
Understanding of Risks and Security Issues
With the advent of social networks and internet, security has been an important area owing to the increased risks and security issues within which we are exposed. Our understanding of security matters have expanded, and the way we deal with them has changes drastically (Afuah, 2003). Security issues have been presented in the areas of privacy (Van Eecke and Truyens, 2010). The probability of individuals accessing your information has increased over time and even employers go to social sites to get information concerning their employees. Thus, we have grown to be more alert on what we say and communicate lest it termed as a security breach. The other risks that social networks present to us are the malicious software or virus. Through these risks, we have tended to gain knowledge and embraced certain specialties and fields like computer science that has in the long run expounded on our understanding of issues.
With the use of social media, understanding of security issues have been complex, and individuals have been put under security risks almost every other time they click the button to the media (Gross and Acquisti, 2005). The provision of personal information on the social media sites has complicated issues with numerous individuals ending up in the wrong hands. Thus, the biggest risk of the use of internet turns out to be identity theft. With the stealing of identity, we become reduced and more vulnerable that whatever is ours may not be so after a short period.
For
There are numerous reasons why individuals may choose not to use social media, and one of them is the fact that social media shrinks the understanding of the world. However, this drawback is never evident till one is keen.
With the introduction of social media, the level of proper reading has been reduced. Often individuals read from different online platforms but they do not read exhaustively. In most cases, we get daily feeds from the social media and live by it throughout the day. However, this might not be the right way since we get to lose the right reading skills as well as comprehensive information on certain issues. With increased use of social networks and internet we get shoddy information and lack the real concepts, principles and reasons behind them. Thus, the scope and knowledge of people is reduced thus affecting their general understanding of the world.
Also, from the outer look, it appears as though social networks and internet aids socialization but in the real sense it does not, maybe in theory. This is because, in the social networks people tend to join the networks where they share the same line of thought or ideas. Thus, individuals with different beliefs tend to be excluded from such groups (Castells, 2011). Thus, individuals grow to become less tolerant with other people’s opinion and way of life. Consequently, individuals become more rigid in their beliefs thus lack the general grasp of the earthly knowledge.
Owing to the benefits, and the positive consequences highlighted, I can affirm that although the use of social networks and internet may limit our knowledge, it is clear that the gains are more. Thus, social media in my view expands our understanding of the world.
References
Afuah, A., 2003. Redefining firm boundaries in the face of the internet: are firms really shrinking?. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 34-53.
Castells, M., 2011. The rise of the network society: The information age: Economy, society, and culture (Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons.
DEWING, M., 2010. Social media. 2, 2. Ottawa, Library of Parliament. Retrived frm < HYPERLINK “http://site.ebrary.com/id/10390763” http://site.ebrary.com/id/10390763> on 15th Septmeber, 2014.
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., and Lampe, C., 2007. The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.
Gackenbach, J., 2011. Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications. Academic Press.
Gross, R., and Acquisti, A., 2005, November. Information revelation and privacy in online social networks. In Proceedings of the 2005 ACM workshop on Privacy in the electronic society (pp. 71-80). ACM.
Heaney, C. A., and Israel, B. A., 2002. Social networks and social support. Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice, 3, 185-209.
Kirsch, S., 1995. The incredible shrinking world? Technology and the production of space. Environment and Planning D, 13, 529-529.
Kwak, H., et al., 2010, April. What is Twitter, a social network or a news media?. In Proceedings of the 19th international conference on World wide web (pp. 591-600). ACM.
Perry-Smith, J. E., and Shalley, C. E., 2003. The social side of creativity: A static and dynamic social network perspective. Academy of management review, 28(1), 89-106.
Van Eecke, P., and Truyens, M., 2010. Privacy and social networks. Computer Law & Security Review, 26(5), 535-546.