Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis: Neoliberal exceptionalism and the culture of uncare
By Sally Weintrobe
Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 978 1501 37287 2
Psychoanalyst and scholar Sally Weintrobe studies the links between human psychology and climate change. In this fascinating new book covering the intersection of psychology, politics, culture, mass media, leadership, and our emotional lives, she argues that a tussle between two aspects of our inherent imagination (caring and uncaring) and encouragement by cultural forces (particularly neoliberalism) has leaned us towards ‘business as usual’ and permitted us to ignore the stark reality of the climate crisis. So our uncaring part has taken precedence over the caring, particularly in the Global North, and we – to some degree or another – have become ‘Exceptions’: people with a rigid psychological
mindset who “falsely believe they are entitled to see themselves in idealized terms, have whatever they want, and dispense with moral and practical terms through omnipotently ‘rearranging’ reality”.
I found this book highly accessible, alive with examples, enriching and engrossing. If you’re wondering, “How did we get into this mess?” it offers fresh insights and perhaps hope that all is not yet lost – if we allow our imaginations to see a different path – and act on it, at roots and branch level.
- Linda Aspey is a coach, therapist and member of Time to Think global faculty