| At the beginning of the twenty-first century, humanity faces an accelerating trend of environmental degradation on a global scale that not only threatens to diminish human health and quality of life, but also may eventually undermine the planet's ability to support life, as we know it. Solutions will require a proliferation of individuals in all societies that are aware of the problem, and who regard it as such an overarching concern in their lives that they feel compelled to proactively respond.; Utilizing a qualitative multiple case study, this research explored the lives of six men and three women over the age of 40, who had become ecologically conscious, concerned, and proactive in the course of their lives. The nine participants met the criteria of being identified as environmentalists, having a history of activism, spending much of their time in Nature, and engaging in lifestyles and work that reflected these values. Face-to-face interviews were employed in conjunction with other sources of data, including direct observation and access to archival materials. A narrative analysis of the interviews yielded significant information about psychobiographical antecedents related to the development of their ecological consciousness and concern, as well as insight into their personal and subjective relationship with Nature.; The qualitative data were organized into nine themes. The first three themes related primarily to childhood and explored the significance of early access to natural surroundings, special places in Nature, and relationships with animals. The second three themes related primarily to adolescence and young adulthood and explored the significance of bodily experience and physical fitness, education and identification with intellect, and the influence of the American counterculture. The last three themes related to the transpersonal dimension of the participants' relationship with Nature: the significance of extraordinary experiences in Nature, environmentalism as religion, and the implications of the possible end of Nature for the environmentalist narrative and worldview.; The overarching narrative that emerged from the nine self-narratives was further examined in the context of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development in order to clarify some of the developmental issues and resolutions that often exemplify the lives of environmentalists. |
