Abstract
Rachel Carson’s (1962) call to “manage ourselves” if we hope for a sustainable future seems to have been unheard by some of the most widely employed areas of applied psychology. Despite their demonstrable, sustained success at equitably “managing” collective human action, several subfields of applied psychology have yet to offer much in support of efforts to enhance the likelihood of a healthy and enduring future. Some possible explanations for this state of affairs are discussed, particularly the misidentified basis for managing ourselves (individual decision making and behavior) and the need to recognize and define our collective evolutionary strategy (social invention) and its motivational precursors. Identifying this fundamentally collective nature of human adaptive capacity reveals why these organizational subfields are essential to our future viability. We then make the case for engagement of the scientist-practitioner model in better managing collective action, particularly through establishment of an applied psychology of sustainability. We suggest that this new subfield be positioned as another planetary science, addressing future planetmates as primary stakeholders and supporting innovative new groups as “clients”. Although the conference is framed in terms of “hidden risks”, this presentation is framed in terms of hidden opportunities.
Presenters
Robert JonesProfessor Emeritus, Psychology, Missouri State University, Montana, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Unseen Unsustainability: Addressing Hidden Risks to Long-Term Wellbeing for All
KEYWORDS
APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, EVOLUTIONARY THEORY, SOCIAL ORGANIZING
