Radical Ecopsychology, Second Edition: Psychology in the Service of Life

by Andy Fisher, David Abram (Foreword by)

Overview

Personal in its style yet radical in its vision, Radical Ecopsychology, Second Edition offers an original introduction to ecopsychology—an emerging field that ties the human mind to the natural world. In order for ecopsychology to be a force for social change, Andy Fisher insists it must become a more comprehensive and critical undertaking. Drawing masterfully from humanistic psychology, hermeneutics, phenomenology, radical ecology, nature writing, and critical theory, he develops a compelling account of how the human psyche still belongs to nature. This daring and innovative book proposes a psychology that will serve all life, providing a solid base not only for ecopsychological practice, but also for a critical theory of modern society. In this second edition, Fisher includes a new preface, a new section looking back at the development of the field since the book's initial publication a decade ago, and a look at the challenges that lie ahead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438444772
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	12/27/2012
Series:	SUNY series in Radical Social and Political Theory
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	407
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Andy Fisher is a psychotherapist in private practice.

Table of Contents

Foreword by David Abram
Preface
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments

Part I. Ground Work

1. The Project of Exopsychology

The Terrain of Ecopsychology
Getting a Handle of the Project
Four Tasks
A Naturalistic and Experimental Approach

2. The Problem with Normal

Discursive Problems
Between the Human and the Natural
In Praise of the Not-So-Normal: The Hermeneutic Dimension
The Symbolic or Metaphorical Nature of Reality and the Discursive Primacy of Rhetoric

Part II. Nature and Experience

3. Beginning with Experience

“Returning to Experience”
Talking About Experience
Experiential Destruction and Ecological Crisis

4. From Humanistic to Naturalistic Psychology

The Irony of Humanistic Psychology
On Nature and Human Nature

5. Naturalistic Psychology: A Sketch

“If We Truly Experience Needs…”
Naturalism
Life as a Hermeneutic Sense-Making Journey
Nature and the Human Life Cycle

Part III. Ecopsychology Today

6. A Decade Later: Still Radical After All These Years

Looking Back, Looking Forward
Situating Ecopsychology: What About Environmental and Conservation Psychology?
Ecopsychology as a Transformation of Psychology
The Ecopsychology Journal and “Second Generation” Ecopsychology
Ecotherapy: The Question of Praxis
Integral Ecology: Agreements and Disagreements
Challenges Ahead

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"In this second edition of his 2001 treatise published under the same title, Fisher reveals his growth and maturity as a theoretical analyst for defining ecopsychology, using perspectives drawn from his vantage point as a practicing psychotherapist." — CHOICE

Praise for the First Edition

"…a provocative look at the philosophical concepts (and conceits) that underlie what truly is a radical new form of social thought." — Utne

From the Publisher