“Something inside me has been set in motion”: Exploring the psychological wellbeing of people engaged in sustainability initiatives

Abstract

The role of sustainability initiatives and niche groups in transitions towards sustainability has received a good deal of attention. However, little is known about the people who make up these groups. This paper discusses their psychological wellbeing -a concept that comprises six elements: self-acceptance, personal growth and development, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relations with others. In the study we performed 46 semi-structured interviews with people from 11 sustainability initiatives in five countries across Europe. We find that the groups offer a platform to build and maintain social relations with other, often like-minded, people. While these relations often serve an important motivational function to stay engaged, they are not free of challenges. The interviews show that sustainability initiatives can also provide fertile ground for personal growth and other dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Environmental mastery -and specifically the capacity to cope with global environmental problems beyond individual control -is a major challenge for people engaged in sustainability initiatives. Overall, the data suggests strong links between social engagement and psychological wellbeing. From a theoretical perspective, this paper enriches the transition literature by exploring the role of psychological wellbeing among people engaged in niches.

Happier with less? Members of European environmental grassroots initiatives reconcile lower carbon footprints with higher life satisfaction and income increases

“…Contrary to the notion that consumption determines well-being 9,16 , proponents of lifestyles driven by voluntary simplicity argue for a "double dividend": simultaneously reducing consumption while enhancing wellbeing 9,16,40 . Previous studies suggest that participation in grassroots initiatives could be linked to increased awareness and pro-environmental behaviors, while supporting individuals in the pursuit of well-being [46][47][48] and quality of social life 40,41,44 .…”

“…A recent qualitative study derived from the same project (GLAMURS) presented evidence of a positive association between grassroots membership and several dimensions of well-being: selfacceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relations with others 46 . Our findings provide quantitative evidence that lower consumption CF and higher life satisfaction are compatible for members of grassroots initiatives.…”

Behavioral Influences on Crowdfunding SDG Initiatives: The Importance of Personality and Subjective Well-Being

“…Individuals' values are also substantially and directly related to their subjective well-being for life satisfaction [32][33][34]. Mock et al [35] have shown that psychological wellbeing (e.g., subjective well-being) is a significant aspect of people engaged in sustainability initiatives. Nevertheless, studies on sustainable crowdfunding have largely neglected the causes and effects of value, attachment, and subjective well-being.…”

Psychological Well-being: A Preliminary Study of Guidance and Counseling Services Development of Preservice Teachers in Indonesia

“…Previous findings (Hill et al, 2019;Briggs, 2012) discovered that psychological well-being influenced a person's mental health; hence, it has to be prepared from early age as preventive and developmental efforts (Mock et al, 2019). Therefore, counseling and guidance services should offer positive impact on pre-service teacher's personal growth.…”

“…Psychological well-being has become major discussion in Indonesia this decade. Many scholars have assumed that psychological well-being is a factor supporting someone's future happiness, which is stimulated by individual's learning in dealing with problem or environment (Mock et al, 2019), and affected by their experience and education (Ryff, 2014;Ryff and Heidrich, 1997).…”