The Dissociative Split: A Psychological Reason We Harm the Planet
I often find myself asking a question that I think many of us grapple with: Why do we, as a society, continue to behave in such a destructive way towards nature? We know what we're doing is wrong. We see the pollution, we read about the climate crisis, and yet, transformative action is only taken by a small percentage of the population.
An answer to this perplexing question can be found in the work of ecopsychologist Ralph Metzner, who explores the psychopathology of the human-nature relationship. He suggests that the root of the problem lies in a "dissociative split" in our normal consciousness.
We Are In the Earth, Not On It
Metzner argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood our place in the world. He puts it beautifully in this powerful quote:
"We human beings are not, in fact, separate from or superior to nature, nor do we have the right to dominate and exploit nature beyond what is necessary for our immediate needs. We are part of nature; we are in the earth, not on it. We are like the cells in the body of the vast living organism that is planet Earth. An organism cannot continue to function healthily if one group of cells decides to dominate and cannibalize the other energy systems of the body" (Metzner, 1995).
This highlights the necessity of a non-dual perspective. The problem is that our modern consciousness doesn't operate this way. Instead, it's split.
Knowing vs. Attending
Metzner describes this split as the separation of "two or more equally rational and organized psychic fragments or identities." In the context of our relationship with the environment, this means we hold two conflicting realities at once without connecting them.
As Metzner (1995) states, "we have the knowledge of our impact on the environment, we can perceive the pollution and degradation of the land, the waters, the air—but we do not attend to it. We do not connect that knowledge with the other aspects of our total experience."
In essence, he suggests that our society is dissociated from our ecological foundation. We have the data, but we don't allow ourselves to feel the reality. This dissociative split between "me" and "nature" allows the destructive behavior to continue and is, as Metzner argues, ultimately the root of our suffering.
References
Metzner, R. (1995). The psychopathology of the human-nature relationship. In T. Roszak, Μ. Ε. Gomes, & A. D. Kanner (Eds.), Ecopsychology: Restoring the earth healing the mind (pp. 55-67). Counterpoint.
