Page 93 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

76 L. Kruse

feedback with no intent to persuade or make calls for action, whereas communication
with direct request is meant to convince individuals about facts, goals and norms,
present reminders, send appeals and encourage self-commitment.
• What media is used? The choice is dependent both on the purpose of communi-
cation and on the target of communication. It must be clarified, for example,
whether target persons need to be addressed individually or whether interpersonal
exchange is to be stimulated for the purpose of fostering participatory processes.
Also, it has to be decided what type of media and media design will be successful
to attract attention, stimulate further information seeking or increase knowledge
about the functioning of complex systems.
• What is the desired success of communication? This is a necessary, though a
sensitive issue. Is it enough for a problem to be simply discussed, or is the inten-
tion rather to gain noticeable long-term behavioural change? What is the relation
of the financial investment to the observable effects?
From the perspective of psychological intervention research and practice, well-
designed information and communication processes are a necessary but not suffi-
cient condition to promote the sustainable development of society. Even if it seems
that newer strategies in environmental protection and the sustainability movement,
such as participation, moderation and mediation or social marketing, put much
emphasis on communication, without the introduction and design of additional fac-
tors, especially the provision of incentives for action and adequate opportunities,
there will be no sustainable development that is also undertaken by the concrete
actions of individuals.
Sustainable development implies a continual process of changing human-
environment interactions, a process that must repeatedly focus on new objectives
that result from the interdependencies between ecological, economic, social and
cultural conditions. It is a global process that must be implemented internationally,
nationally, regionally and locally, as well as at all levels of societal organization.
Psychology, specifically environmental psychology, can contribute its concepts,
methodologies and research findings about the various modes of human-environment
interactions and can thus support learning processes for sustainable action.
Communication of and about sustainability in society must prepare the ground for
the multiple and multidisciplinary use of strategies and interventions to move
people towards sustainable lifestyles and behaviour.

References

APA (American Psychological Association) (2010). Psychology and global climate change:
Addressing a multi-faceted phenomenon and set of challenges. A Report by the American
Psychological Association’s Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global
Climate Change. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from www.apa.org/science/about/publications/climate-
change.pdf.
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: Towards a new modernity. Newbury Park: Sage.