Psychoanalysis and Ecology at the Edge of Chaos

<p>This book argues that psychoanalysis has a unique role to play in the climate change debate through its placing emphasis on the unconscious dimensions of our mental and social lives. Exploring contributions from Freudian Kleinian Object Relations Self Psychology Jungian and Lacanian traditions the book discusses how psychoanalysis can help to unmask the anxieties deficits conflicts phantasies and defences crucial in understanding the human dimension of the ecological crisis. </p><p>Yet despite being essential to studying environmentalism and its discontents psychoanalysis still remains largely a 'psychology without ecology.' The philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari combined with new developments in the sciences of complexity help us to build upon the best of these perspectives providing a framework able to integrate Guattari's 'three ecologies' of mind nature and society. This book thus constitutes a timely attempt to contribute towards a critical dialogue between psychoanalysis and ecology.</p><p>Further topics of discussion include:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>ecopsychology and the greening of psychotherapy </li> <li>our ambivalent relationship to nature and the non-human </li> <li>complexity theory in psychoanalysis and ecology </li> <li>defence mechanisms against eco-anxiety and eco-grief </li> <li>Deleuze|Guattari and the three ecologies </li> <li>becoming-animal in horror and eco-apocalypse in science fiction films</li> <li>nonlinear ecopsychoanalysis. </li> </ul><p>In our era of anxiety denial paranoia apathy guilt hope and despair in the face of climate change this book offers a fresh and insightful psychoanalytic perspective on the ecological crisis. As such this book will be of great interest to all those in the fields of psychoanalysis psychology philosophy and ecology as well as all who are concerned with the global environmental challenges affecting our planet's future.</p>