Embedment in the environment: a new paradigm for well-being?

Area of Science:

• Ecopsychology
• Environmental Psychology
• Health and Environment Studies

Background:

• Dominant health models view individuals as separate from their environment.
• This perspective overlooks the interconnectedness of self, place, and well-being.
• Mind-body dualism is a recognized limitation, but self-environment dualism is also a false dichotomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an ecopsychological framework for understanding health and well-being.
• To challenge the individualistic view of health by emphasizing person-environment relationships.
• To introduce restorative environments, adaptive mental states, and ecotherapy as alternative approaches.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual analysis of dominant health models versus ecopsychological perspectives.
• Exploration of the role of physical interactions (electromagnetic, chemical, mechanical) in shaping our concepts of self and health.
• Introduction of research on restorative natural environments and ecotherapy practices.

Main Results:

• The study posits that health and well-being are functions of the dynamic, two-way interactions between individuals and their environment.
• It demonstrates how fixed concepts of self and health fail to adapt to environmental changes.
• Ecotherapy and restorative environments offer a paradigm shift from individual pathology to person-place dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Well-being is intrinsically linked to the environment, challenging the separation of self and place.
• Understanding health requires acknowledging the continuous physical interconnections between people and their surroundings.
• Shifting focus to the dynamic relationships between people and place, supported by ecotherapy, offers a more holistic view of well-being.