Complexity in Environmental Sustainability Policy from a Semiotic Cultural Political Psychology Perspective.

From a cultural political psychology perspective, Carriere (2022) emphasises the role of the individual and their meaning-making processes in the psychology of policy and politics (including the role of values and power dynamics). I propose a 'complex' semiotic cultural political psychology (SCPP) framework that reflects on and extends Carriere (2022). My complexity perspective involves 'self-organising' relations within persons (a sense of 'I') and within cultures (a sense of 'We') and 'socio-culturally organising' relations between persons (a sense of 'Me') and between cultures (a sense of 'Us'). I apply the SCPP framework to the issue of environmental sustainability policy. I contend there are intra- and inter-personal and intra-and inter-cultural values on the issue/s of environmental sustainability policy. International research supports Carriere's focus on personal ('I am' versus 'We are') values in environmental policy but this effect may be most prevalent in the US context. On social power in personal and cultural sustainability, empirical research points to 'power struggles' and 'vested interests' as the main problems for people. Also, from research it is deduced that (complex) environmental sustainability policy and governance need to empower people (individuals and groups) and avert unintended power dynamics, appreciating the co-occurring cultural nuances at work. It is concluded that my semiotic cultural political psychology reflections on Carriere introduces a potentially integrative 'complexity' perspective to psychological and behavioural science.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)