Jung, Ecopsychology, and Climate Change
March 31, 2026 Orsolya Lukács
This chapter examines Carl Jung's concern with the relationship between psyche and nature, arguing that his concepts of the psychoid, anima mundi, and synchronicity anticipated contemporary debates about ecological crisis and alienation. The author traces Jung's critique of industrial modernity and his insistence that individuation requires partnership with the natural world. The chapter then surveys post-Jungian contributions from Hillman, Romanyshyn, Fellows, Kiehl, Rowland, and others who apply Jungian thought to eco-anxiety, ecological trauma, and climate resilience. Lukács identifies three contributions of Jungian ecopsychology: uncovering psychic origins of ecological destruction, analyzing the psyche's response to environmental crisis, and proposing symbolic frameworks for transforming behavior. She argues that analytical psychology offers resources for reimagining humanity's relationship with nature.