Page 130 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

10 Sustainability Communication: A Systemic-Constructivist Perspective 113

attributes a controlling function in human behaviour to emotions: “Reason and
understanding are embedded in the affective and emotional nature of humans. The
largely unconscious centre of the limbic system is not only formed much earlier
than the conscious cortical centre. It builds a framework within which the others can
work (…) Consciousness and understanding can only be turned into action with the
‘approval’ of the limbic system” (Roth 2001: 451ff.).
This shift of emphasis from the cognitive to the emotional control of action is
of central importance for ecological sustainability. It is however a pedagogical
dilemma that the term sustainability is abstract and theoretical and rather ‘emo-
tionless’ and thus – in contrast to for example ‘nature’ or ‘animal welfare’ – it is
hardly suited for triggering ‘sensual’ feelings. This could be an explanation for
why the term sustainability has remained relatively ineffective in educational
practice.
The Swiss emotion psychologist and constructivist Luc Ciompi emphasizes the
effectiveness of ‘affective communication’ and pleads for a reorientation in science
and pedagogy. Ciompi draws attention to the action guidance effects of logics of
human affect. Basic emotional moods (happiness, fear, sadness) colour our sensory
perceptions, thoughts and feelings. This means that “according to the logic of affect,
affective and cognitive components join together with the accompanying senso-
motoric system to functionally integrated affective-cognitive reference systems or
feeling-thinking behaviour programmes” (Ciompi 2003: 62). These behavioural
programmes are similar to Piagetian ‘schemes’. We thus do not learn merely facts,
terms, ‘subject matter’, but instead programmes that make up our identity, that are
emotionally anchored, that allow an action orientation. Action is not only a result of
cognitions, but successful actions are at the same time knowledge processes. The
concept of feeling-thinking behavioural programmes appears to be promising in
promoting sustainable development. Such ‘programmes’ can include, e.g. water,
energy, forest, waste etc.

Language as Construction

Radical constructivism stresses the uniqueness and isolation of the thinking
individual. Humans are ‘opaque’ to each other, so that Luhmann and Roth both
note that the normal case for communication is misunderstanding. On the other
hand communication is – in spite of all the attendant difficulties in understanding –
necessary for survival. Humans are not only viable as social creatures but also live
in interpretation communities. Even if each individual observes something else,
these observation perspectives and interpretation patterns have a collective basis.
Symbolic interactionism had already pointed out that our perceptions and interpre-
tations arise – through socialization – in social contexts; through contact with new
reference groups previous images of self and the world are modified.
These findings from social-psychological research are the starting point for social
constructivism. Gergen, a well-known proponent of social constructivism, draws
attention to the social construction of reality through language by pointing out that