Psychology of Promoting Environmentalism: Psychological Contributions toAchieving an Ecologically Sustainable Future for Humanity

The most serious long-term threat facing the world is the danger that human actions are producing irreversible, harmful changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. If this problem is not overcome, there may be no viable world for our descendants to inhabit. Because this threat is caused by human population growth, overconsumption, and lack of resource conservation, social scientists have a vital role in helping our world escape ecological disaster and approach a sustainable level of impact on the environment—one that can be maintained indefinitely. Enormous changes to human lifestyles and cultural practices may be required to reach this goal. This article discusses major obstacles to this goal, describes a variety of motivational approaches toward reaching it, and proposes that we should view the achievement of sustainable living patterns as a superordinate goal—a war against the common enemy of an uninhabitable world.     

Applying Psychology to Help Save the World: Reflections on a Career in Psychology

This reflective personal account traces phases of the author's career where he saw psychology as relevant to major world problems. Chronologically, these problems included issues of international conflict, waste of energy and natural resources, human behaviors that caused environmental destruction, and the paramount threat of global climate change. Psychologists can make valuable contributions to describing, evaluating, and resolving these problems, and their vital importance should motivate the research and teaching of many psychologists. Our generation's success in achieving sustainable patterns of living on the Earth will determine whether the Earth will retain a livable environment for future generations. Brief suggestions are offered for approaches that may lead to more effective research and advocacy on crucial social issues.     

Re‐Conceiving the Good Life – the Key to Sustainable Globalisation

Resource‐intensive, high‐carbon, Western lifestyles are frequently criticised as unsustainable and deeply unsatisfying. However, these lifestyles are still attractive to the majority of Westerners and to a high proportion of the developing world's middle classes. This paper argues that the imminent threat of catastrophic climate change constitutes an immediate political, economic and ethical challenge for citizens of the developed world that cannot be tackled by appeals to asceticism or restraint. There can be no solution to climate change until sustainable conceptions of the good life are developed that those in the West want to live and which others might want to live. While the ultimate solution to climate change is the development of low carbon lifestyles, it is important that government initiatives, governance arrangements and economic incentives support rather than undermine that search. Like the global financial crisis, the climate change crisis also demonstrates what happens when weaknesses in national, corporate and professional governance are exacerbated by weaknesses in global governance. In tackling the latter, it is critical the mistakes now evidenced in the former are avoided – including a rethinking of carbon market and carbon tax alternatives. It is also critical that individuals must take responsibility for their actions as consumers, voters and investors.     

SPECIAL ISSUE： ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION AND BEAUTIFUL CHINA The Philosophical Wisdom and Action Implications of ＂Beautiful China＂

在地球这个作为迄今为止唯一适合人类生存发展的世界中,人类是最具生命活力和能力的生命存在,人类面对世界的心态和观念不应该停留于认识世界和改造世界的层面,而应该提升为一种科学认识世界并合理改善世界的新世界观。基于这样一种新的世界观,我们才会有一种新的视点,才可能形成一种新的价值观、一种新的生活方式和行动方式。“美丽中国”作为生态文明建设目标的文学隐喻,形象而充分地表达了中国特色社会主义现代化道路的全新视境。生态文明建设是一种社会谋划,需要建立其清晰、完备、长远、科学的生态文明价值观,需要观念的引导和制度的规导,也需要全体社会成员的自觉行动。     

Integrated sustainable development evaluation based on human well-being indices and pressure indices: A case study of the South China Sea Neighboring Countries

To overcome the inherent shortcomings of the human development index (HDI) and to improve the comparability of evaluation results, in this study, an evaluation indicator system of regional sustainable development pressures was constructed based on catastrophe theory. An improved catastrophe model was used to calculate the sustainable development pressure index (SPI), which was combined with the human development index (HDI) proposed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to explore the human welfare and sustainable development pressures in 9 countries bordering the South China Sea in the period 2003–2015 based on statistical data provided by the World Bank. It was found that during the period of investigation, the level of human welfare in the region gradually increased and the HDI steadily rose, with an average annual growth rate between 0.29% and 2.50%. The sustainable development pressures in the South China Sea neighboring region were very high, and the development models in this region can be divided into 4 types: very high level human welfare with very high sustainable development pressures; high level human welfare with very high sustainable development pressures; medium level human welfare with very high sustainable development pressures; and low level human welfare with very high sustainable development pressures. It is recommended that a country should explore its own development path based on the actual situation in the country to reduce sustainable development obstacles. Moreover, bilateral or multilateral cooperation should be actively pursued to solve the bottleneck problems that restrict regional sustainable development.     

生态世界观与可持续发展

基于各种因素的影响,不同于机械世界观的新世界观已在现代世界逐步形成。这种生态世界观逐步引导人类思考新的现实发展路径,形成可持续发展的新思路,并处于人类可持续发展目标的核心。因此,实现可持续发展目标,关键在于以生态世界观全面规范人们的思想和行为。     

人力资本视角下大学生就业竞争力的培育

大学生是当今社会科技创新的一支重要的生力军。大学生的人力资本状况不但决定和影响到大学生的就业竞争力,也直接影响到未来我国能否成为科技创新的大国。大学生就业竞争力包含大学生的专业能力、创新能力、团队合作能力、沟通能力与适应能力等5种核心能力。要实现5种核心能力的提升,必须创新教育理念,建设一支富于创新力的师资队伍,设置合理的课程体系,完善、优化学生知识结构,推进教学方法和考核方式改革,强化大学生实践教学的制度化建设,建构由高校、政府、社会构成的多元一体化人才培养平台,为大学生就业提供常态化的全程指导服务。     

理解人类行为的三维框架及其教学应用——《人类行为与社会环境》课程教学思考

《人类行为与社会环境》作为社会工作专业基础课程,其知识体系的构建应基于综合生物、心理、社会视角而成的三维框架。为这一框架引入生物学思想可以丰富其内涵和认知深度。三维框架的具体体现是依据纵横结合和锥形开放式逻辑构建并呈现有关人类行为的知识体系。据此进行教学可兼顾知识性和思想性,从而有助于深化人类行为与社会环境课程教学。     

Human rights,cultural practices,and state policies: Implications for global social work practice and policy

Effective practice in a global world requires knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures. Most social workers around the world are committed to values and policies that enhance the well‐being of especially vulnerable populations and that protect their human rights. However, not all cultural practices or policies place the same value on human rights and the protection of vulnerable populations, a situation that may result in conflicts for social workers, who have an ethical obligation to advocate for human rights as well as to be sensitive to their clients' cultural contexts. Based on multidisciplinary research and contemporary examples of gender discrimination, forced marriages, child labor, and female genital mutilation, this article proposes resolutions to this conflict. It concludes by suggesting practices and policies that might help social workers to strike an effective balance between cultural diversity and the promotion of human rights. Key Practitioner Message: ● Social workers are best placed to understand individuals and communities within their various cultural contexts; ● Social work practice and policy should be sensitive to cultural practices that may undermine human rights and the well‐being of vulnerable populations; ● Guided by professional values and ethics, social workers can assume the roles of educator and advocate in enhancing the rights of individuals.     

Normative, Gain and Hedonic Goal Frames Guiding Environmental Behavior

This article discusses new developments about goal-dependent framing and multiple goal frames (sometimes also called "multiple motives"), which are highly relevant for understanding environmental behavior. We introduce goal-framing theory, which postulates that goals "frame" the way people process information and act upon it. Three goal frames are distinguished: a hedonic, gain, and normative goal frame. In general, multiple goals are active at any given time, which may (or may not) be compatible; that is, the strength of the focal goal may be influenced by other goals that are in the background. Based on an extensive review of studies in environmental psychology, we suggest those conditions under which each goal frame may be dominant in influencing environmental behavior. In the environmental context, normative goal frames imply acting pro-environmentally, while gain and hedonic goal frames often result in not acting in an environmentally sound manner. Next, we argue that pro-environmental behavior may be promoted by strengthening normative goals or by making gain and hedonic goals less incompatible with normative goals. Finally, based on goal-framing theory, we suggest questions to be addressed in future research.     

SPECIAL ISSUE： THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE The Third Sense of Enlightenment as Seen in the Critique of the Power of Judgment

对现代启蒙批判思潮的反批判,康德哲学固然能够在基本原则和方法方面提供富有成效的支持,但这应是现代人所面临的任务和解决的问题。理性在今天依然占据首要的地位,但相比于启蒙时代人们对它的展望和憧憬,理性非但没有形成内在一致的统一体系,反而更趋多样化,呈现更多的内在矛盾。康德《判断力批判》诠证了理性诸多领域与不同原理之间关联的可能性和途径,揭明了启蒙的第三要义：理性不仅展现为不同的能力、原理和层面,而且这些领域及其现象可以分别予以探讨;不同的理性原理之间和不同领域之间的关联在理论上或是不清楚的,但它们在现象之中却确实地建立了起来;关于现象的表述原本可以分为不同层次,除了构造自然对象知识和人类行为法则的能力和形式,理性亦有构造情绪现象与审美现象的能力和形式。因此,理性批判并不限于通过对现有各种形式的知识的分析,揭示既有的理性形式及其构造活动,而且还在于发现理性的新形式和构造的可能性,从而揭示具有新的形式和性质的知识的可能性条件,直至这种知识本身。     

区域可持续发展的调控及其对策研究

区域可持续发展的基本特征是其三维性和系统性。所谓三维 ,即区域可持续发展的构成要素、时间关系和空间关系 ;所谓系统 ,即区域是人地系统 ,区域可持续发展遵从系统增长、演化的规律。因此 ,区域可持续发展理论 ,可以概括为三维系统理论。以此为基础 ,区域可持续发展的调控可以概括为三维系统调控 ;相应地 ,调控的对策也必须具备三维性和系统性。目前 ,区域可持续发展调控的总体对策应为 :立足要素维 ,拓展空间维 ,推进时间维 ,系统地解决区域可持续发展过程中存在的问题。     

消费主义:一种异化的生活方式

在全球化浪潮的强烈冲击下,消费主义作为起源并盛行于西方发达国家的一种文化态度、价值观念和生活方式,正以其感性而鲜明的特征吸引着发展中国家的人们。在消费主义文化强大的示范和诱导下,发展中国家那些传统的、民族的消费生活方式就逐步转变为一种现代的消费主义生活方式。这种生活方式为构建社会主义和谐社会带来了许多危害,我们应该抵制消费主义,选择良好的生活方式,走可持续发展之路。     

Social positioning theory and quantum mechanics

Social positioning theory, or an account of the human individual that it grounds, qualifies as a quantum social theory. This is an assessment that I explain and defend in the paper. It is of interest in that, in a world where increasing numbers are seeking to construct quantum social theories, it serves to help demonstrate that this goal can be achieved without giving up on meeting criteria like explanatory intelligibility or power or discarding real-world notions like human (and other) entities. As it turns out, a central feature of the account defended and a core element of the ‘standard’ interpretation of quantum mechanics are found to stand in an interesting, unanticipated and suggestive relation to each other.     

跨越“文野之别”的实践——再论费孝通的江村研究

江村是著名社会学家、人类学家费孝通成名的起点，又是他近70年持续研究中国农村发展道路的研究基地。他踏出的江村研究之路，表达了西方人类学大师“梦寐以求的愿望”，开拓了人类学从研究野蛮人转向研究文明人的新时代。文章指出，费孝通的江村研究是由环环相扣的偶然因素促成的，同时又是有计划、动机明确、志向高远的一项研究。他进行的中国乡村“文明社区”——江村研究的实践， 跨越了“文野之别”，开拓了人类学研究的新领域，西方学者给予了高度评价。时代造就了《江村经济》，《江村经济》把费孝通推向了世界学术前沿。费孝通“志在富民”，江村研究以探索农民怎样发展生产力，摆脱贫困走向富裕道路为主旨，揭示了“江村人”的思想观念、人际关系和生活方式等的变化。文章认为费孝通的“江村”研究在理论和实践上做出了重大的贡献，为后继学者的研究奠定了基础。他未竟的事业，将由“江村学”研究肩负。     

Why some theories fail to describe, explain, and predict: Reconstructing the future

Thomas Kuhn, as a physicist, persuasively discussed theory construction and change as well as pointed out the existence of paradigm shifts. But, constrained by human being's way of perceiving reality and thinking, though scholars and experts can construct theory so as to understand human interactions, they will sooner or later realize that theory often fails to perform satisfactorily. What is the nature or substance of this world and how would the world develop in the future? This article is written from the philosophical and cultural perspectives and suggests a new way of reconstructing the future. By taking human behavior, language, science, philosophy, mathematics, and logic into consideration, the author argues that in this way we would be able to enter into a new world of analyzing phenomena.     

The Act of Understanding

Summary Attention is drawn to experience that much social work has beenundertaken on a base of common sense, personal intuition andfeelings that the client's situation has been 'understood'.Medical, sociological and psychological sources for theory whichhave given status to objectivity and implicitly deterministicways of thinking are criticized as sometimes contrary to usefulunderstanding and not supportive to constructive change. Itis claimed that a goal of social work theory should be to disciplinethe 'understanding' which exists in the practice and it is suggestedthat this might be based upon the investigation of the meaningwhich people give to the world in which they live and to theirself within that world. This phenomenologkal approach placessubjectivity and the role of the self-concept at the focus ofattention. As a working philosophy it incorporates the formativeinfluences of past experiences whilst also asserting the primacyof the person who may impose a new significance upon both thosepast events and his immediate situation. It is claimed thatsuch an approach might be the source of a discipline which couldrelate more intimately than hitherto the theory and good practiceof all concerned with social welfare and social change.     

历史观与世界观概念辨析

历史观是人们从时间角度观察世界而概括世界运动本质和规律形成的对世界历史过程的总体观念,也是人们从纵向观察世界历史活动过程的思维方式。历史观有狭义与广义之分,狭义为人类史观,广义为人类史观和自然史观的总和;历史观还有唯心史观与马克思的唯物史观之分,前者把历史意识化,后者旨在还原历史真相,有马克思的狭义唯物史观与广义的大唯物史观之别,关注狭义唯物史观可知人世生存之道,关注广义的大唯物史观有利于生态平衡和可持续发展。世界观有旧哲学世界观与马克思新哲学新世界观之分,旧哲学世界观是抽象世界观,旨在解释世界;马克思新哲学新世界观是现实的人实践活动的人物一体化的现实世界观,旨在改变世界。世界观还有普遍世界观、特殊世界观、个别世界观之别,普遍寓于特殊和个别之中,特殊和个别又不能脱离普遍而存在。世界观和历史观二者都是人们对同一个对象世界的观察、思考、概括、抽象,马克思的＂新世界观＂和＂唯物史观＂的本质也是同一的,都是为了认识、把握和改变世界,实现每个人自由全面的发展。     

A new challenge to economic science: Global model simulation

The FUGI (Futures of Global Interdependence) global modeling system has been developed as a scientific policy modeling and future simulation tool of providing global information to the human society and finding out possibilities of policy co-ordination among countries in order to achieve sustainable development of the global economy co-existing on the planet Earth in the ever changing universe. The FUGI global model M200 classifies the world into 200 countries/regions where each national/regional model is globally interdependent. Each national/regional model has nine subsystems as population, foods, energy, environment, economic development, peace and security, human right, healthcare and quality of life (IT revolution). This is a super complex dynamic system model using integrated multidisciplinary systems analysis where number of structural equations is over 170,000. Economic model as a core includes major economic variables such as production of GDP, employment, expenditures of GDP, income distribution, prices, money, interest rates and financial assets, government finance, international balance of payments, international finance, foreign exchange rates and development indicators.The purpose of this article is twofold, namely to provide information on a new frontier science of economics: global model simulation as well as appropriate policy exercise for sustainable development of the interdependent global economy. The world economy is facing “green” energy revolution to change from fossil to create alternative energy and energy saving technology against sky rocketing higher oil prices. Japan takes a lead in this field of technology innovation. Under such circumstances, Japan should take an initiative to create a new peaceful world through not only harmonized adjustments of Japanese economic policy but also wise cosmic mind to promote human solidarity with the ever changing nature will be desirable to adjust orbit of the fluctuated global economy. Japan should challenge for a new strategy to accelerate economic growth rates by “CO₂ reducing environment investment” based on technology innovations.     

Social Psychological Factors in Lifestyle Change and Their Relevance to Policy

Crises in obesity and changes in the environment illustrate the need to change problematic behaviors and lifestyles in large segments of the population. This article uses social psychological theory and research to understand methods for facilitating lifestyle change. A basic assumption in the social psychological perspective is that the environment and the person interact to determine behavior. Both factors are important for understanding "upstream" and "downstream" approaches to lifestyle change ( McKinlay, 1993 ; Verplanken & Wood, 2006 ) and consideration of one factor without the other may be disastrous. We review evidence from within and outside of the health context to illustrate the upstream and downstream approaches and then describe implications for public policy and intervention. The evidence and recommendations encompass a wide range of behaviors, ranging from speeding and intoxicated driving to eating an unhealthy diet and energy conservation. When armed with the relevant social psychological theory and evidence, lifestyle change campaigns are likely to be successful.