ISSS 2006 at Sonoma State University

John Adams "The Psychology of Sustainability: Mental Models @ Work", ISSS 2006 at Sonoma State University, Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 9:30 a.m.

Ecology and Sustainability

These participant's notes were created in real-time during the meeting, based on the speaker's presentation(s) and comments from the audience. These should not be viewed as official transcripts of the meeting, but only as an interpretation by a single individual. Lapses, grammatical errors, and typing mistakes may not have been corrected. Questions about content should be directed to the originator. These notes have been contributed by David Ing (daviding@systemicbusiness.org) at the Systemic Business Community ( http://systemicbusiness.org ).

This morning, three different looks at sustainability

Will first cover some of the inner, psychological looks
Jane on examples
Dick on governance in larger systems
Then self-organizing conversation: what do we do about it

Great place to get your answers questioned

Examine collective mental models around the world that make it difficult to implement what Al Gore has suggested.

A convergence of the oracles: there's solid science behind climate change, and it's human involvement with fossil fuel driving it

Ecological and economic thought, educational issues, water issues

Mental models and sustainability: collective thinking
Generating new frames

Lester R. Brown, Plan B 2.0: Rescuting a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

Using resources too rapidly
End fossil fuel, throwaway economy
What if China catches up with the U.S. in consumption? 2031 China like 2004 U.S.
China's consumption of oil is already causing a problem
In 25 years, India will have more people than China

Marilyn Ferguson: The Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Ronald D. Laing: Autopilot Nature of Mindset

Bela Banathy: homo sapiens sapiens, we need to know how we think

Autopilot thinking

Six mental model themes

Time orientation: short term - long term
Responsiveness: reactive - creative
Attention range: local - glocal
Logic bases: separation (either/or) - systems (both-and)
Problem consideration: accountability/blaming - learning
Life orientation: doing/having (activity) - being/becoming (spiritual)

Pattern: to the left, no difference around the world

No wonder that workplaces are like this, with rich getting richer and poor getting poorer

This paradigm supports the economics worldview

Frames (a la George Lakoff)

The business of business is profits
Shareholder return
Speed to market

If we move to the other side of the 6 dimensions, we probably won't be any better

There's already a frame to get rid of them:
Pie in the sky
Flip-flop

Versatility (appropriate flexibility) is needed

15 of the 50 biggest institutions are corporations, e.g. Walmart is the size of California, which could push Italy out of the G6

David Courton: What do we do when corporations rule the world?

Frames that help:

We're all in this together
Together we can do it
It's a small world after all

Integratoin only with versaility:

Economics worldview, ecological worldview, societal worldview

Frank Outlaw: watch you mindset, it becomes your thought ...

Mark Twain: What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so.

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