How Can Transformative Sustainability Research Benefit From Integrating Insights From Psychology

I have reflected upon current trends in sustainability science and how psychology-based insights can contribute to addressing specific challenges arising as part of these trends. In the context of moving toward a transdisciplinary and systemic understanding of transformation and toward transformative research, psychology can contribute to a more holistic conceptualization of socio-ecological transformation. In particular, it can offer insights into the nature of human behavior and its interaction with social context dynamics Moreover, psychology can offer methods to describe patterns of human subjectivity and how they are entangled in larger systems dynamics. On the practical side, psychological practices can provide expertise on how to design and facilitate co-creative learning and meaning-making spaces that go beyond creative practice: by allowing for the exploration and transformation of deeper root causes of conflicts that are often inherent to stakeholder engagement.