Psychology
&
Behavioural Science
‘Morals Kill the Environment’ is an immersive, thought-provoking piece that empowers the readers to understand the reasons behind the eco-(un)friendly actions in everyday life. It presents the key principles of how we make decisions on a day-to-day basis and challenges the latest thinking in psychology and behavioural sciences by asking why none of these seem to work when it comes to improving the climate change situation? Can it be that most people don’t really care about nature and the wellness it brings to life? Could most people truly be so selfish and short-sighted and prioritise momentary comfort and convenience over the preservation of the natural environment? Can this really be true that most people choose to support the destruction of nature without thinking about what world they will leave for future generations?
Compelling, insightful, and grounded in an innovative, five-year-long personally-designed scientific research investigation into people’s barriers to becoming eco-friendly, this intriguing book profoundly explains what is happening at the deepest levels of the human mind. It offers a route to disentangle the origin of conscious and non-conscious thoughts, which form individuals’ views towards sustainable life. Using our own scientific findings, we provide a unique insight into how the impulse to become eco-friendly is born and how it dies. We explain how the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ in climate change actions are socially constructed. We also explain how this puzzles the natural impulses of the human psyche and distorts the behavior. Finally, we focus on the practical explanation of why and when sustainability initiatives fail and present the take on do’s and don’ts when fostering sustainability for the long term.
Chapter 1.
It’s all in your head, or is it? The Power of Perception and Psychology This chapter will introduce our readers to the fundamental principles of psychology and how we make decisions on a day-to-day basis. We will explore the cognitive and social factors that influence the way that we think and explore what makes us act in a rational or irrational manner. Within this chapter, you will find some of the fundamental laws of psychology that a reader can use in building an understanding of how the human brain operates and the key forces behind our behaviours towards others and the environment.
Chapter 2.
Who runs your head: you or society? Deconstructing the forces that influence sustainable behaviour This chapter will start with exploring the principle of humans as social animals. Indeed, our very existence and behaviour are nested within the communities and groups where we reside. This social structure will be further investigated as we will uncover the primary forces that drive citizens to alter their behaviour towards the protection of the environment or otherwise. Within this analysis and review, we will also be covering the very individual differences among citizens that are key when it comes to our sustainable behaviour. This is a complete and exciting chapter that covers both social and individual-based factors that influence behaviour.
Chapter 3.
Your relationship with nature needs an emotional counsellor Here, we start digging deeper into what is known about emotional responses to the climate change situation. We will start to deconstruct how the brain responds to emotional situations that are within one’s control vs. beyond one’s control. We will present the theoretical emotional response framework and will challenge it by providing real-life cases where it doesn’t seem to work. This way, we will lay ground to challenge the latest thinking in psychology and behavioural science and introduce our own solution to get the framework to do what’s it supposed to do. That is, to motivate eco-friendly actions over the long term.
Chapter 4.
Is your moral compass misleading? Learn how to empower your morals This chapter will guide you into the heart of eco-(un)friendly decision-making. We will explore how conscious and non-conscious thoughts circulate within one’s mind and form specific views towards the climate change situation. Importantly, we will explain how both types of these thoughts originate from emotions and how these emotions may become misleading emotions. By taking a brief look at the history of human-nature relationships, we will land on the essence of how emotions towards sustainable behaviours are born. This will lead to discovering the truth that ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ are socially constructed, meaning that this is the reason why the correct moral impulse that should be automatically guiding positive behaviour fails to do so.
Chapter 5.
Yourself versus Society: whose brain will win? Undoubtedly humans are complex beings that utilize different techniques, knowledge, instincts, and emotions to reach a decision. Whereas we are making thousands of decisions on a daily basis, the paths that are used to reach a decision or form a behaviour are unique and yet predictable. Within this chapter, we will share with you several vital frameworks that will assist you in understanding how you reach a decision and which aspects of either your social surroundings or your own cognition contribute the greatest to a particular decision. Whereas this is indeed a very challenging area, we will demystify a number of myths and allow our readers to fully understand everyday decision-making and how to predict it.
Chapter 6.
The psychological cost of (not) saving the environment. The distorted reality of saving versus not saving the environments The current climate change situation sets a strong societal expectation of what is a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ thing to do when it comes to saving the environment. In developed countries, people are expected to be strictly eco-friendly, and this societal norm makes it shameful to behave otherwise. However, many do not believe that the climate crisis is a matter that people can deal with on an individual basis. Therefore passing the responsibility of dealing with related eco-problems to their governments. This blame game constantly moves the societal norm between individuals and institutions, unsettling a lot of difficult emotions. These emotions then distort the reality of who needs to be eco-friendly and when creating chaos in one’s mind. This chaos cannot serve as a guide for sustainable actions.
Chapter 7.
The Who, the What, and the Whys. Case studies of making or breaking the environment We strongly believe that knowledge is easier understood and transferred via case studies. In this chapter, we will share with you several case studies that have been viewed by our field as excellent examples of promoting pro-environmental behaviours. In addition, we will present you with interventions and policies that failed to reach the desirable outcome. The way that we will analyse our case studies will provide you with an intelligent account of the techniques that were used and how to replicate them to achieve the same level of greatness and or avoid key policies that severely hinder attempts to create impact. This is a great chapter for everyone who is looking for a clear plan on what to do to lead pro-environmental interventions this with impact
Chapter 8.
Predicting the future: People’s relationships with mastering their future growth Assisting people with the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours requires a great deal of psychological knowledge, greatly applied interventions, and a time frame. However, how we understand time is a very challenging field that demands our attention when it comes to behavioural change, as, time is the key saboteur in our attempts to significantly pro-sustainability behaviours. Individuals have a very poor relationship with time as it is mainly a reference that we use for our easy day-to-day behaviours. Still, when it comes to key behaviours and decisions that are associated with future rewards or plans, time is an indicator that is being understood very differently by a lot of us. In this chapter, we will share with you the various ways that you can design interventions with timing frameworks that are impactful and promote growth to both individual goals as well as collective attempts to make a difference.
Chapter 9.
The 9 laws of making a sustainable difference In our final chapter, we have summarised the top nine strategies to create a positive impact within any behavioural change goal that you may have related to sustainability and otherwise. These nine strategies have been distilled from a decade of work within behavioural change and powered by the latest insights that science has to offer. While writing them, we have used accessible language and reduced any jargon that may confuse readers who may be new to this field. In addition, we have provided some extra tips on the usual blind spots that people miss out on when they are analysing human behaviour or indeed running a pro-sustainability intervention.
Book ‘Morals Kill the Environment’ in Digital format (pdf). Digitally signed by Laura and Dimitrios.
Price: £45.
Current price: £30
(33% off the final price of £45 only available for the early purchases as a thank you for the immediate investment, e.g. as is now selling on Kickstarter.)
Paperback copy of the book ‘Morals Kill the Environment.’ With a wholehearted thank you from Laura and Dimitrios.
Price: £65
Current price: £44
(33% off the final price of £65 only available for the early purchases as a thank you for the immediate investment, e.g. as is now selling on Kickstarter.)
Dimitrios is a most cited and broadcasted Consumer and Business Psychologist, and Behavioural Scientist of Global renown. He consults for a series of large global corporations and brands, and is regularly invited to bring his informative, informal presentation style to keynote speeches, conferences and company meetings in both the private and public sectors around the world. He acts a regular scientific consultant for titles including the Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Vice and Esquire, and has appeared on documentaries and human interest shows on the BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Dimitrios was the first person to establish the field of Consumer Psychology in the UK and now expertly and influentially uses science to find out what people want and think in order to build things that are long-lasting, and more absorbing. He helps understand who the consumer is, demonstrates and provides trend forecasts for how their behaviour might shift in the future. Dimitrios has lent his distinctive approach to a range of clients in various industries: from investments banks to media broadcasters, from luxury fashion houses to the NHS.
“We know what we want and we know when we want it, but we don’t know why”. Dimitrios believes that psychology and behavioural science offers that why and thus helps to resolve day-to-day challenges and boost commercial success.
Website: https://www.drtsivrikos.com/
TRUSTED BY GLOBAL BRANDS:
“It was powerful. The workshop was thought provoking, inspiring, and gave our guests useful tools that could be incorporated immediately. The insights raised in his talk were not only relevant to our audience; they were delivered in a way to make them memorable and fun – look no further.”
— Colin Carroll,
Founder & CEO, LBDC
“Fascinating and practical insights into workplace and consumer behaviour. The workshop was presented to a group of over 300 providing insights to the future behaviours of consumers in our industry and the changes that we can expect in the work place. Dr. Dimitrios brings together a great mix of academic rigour, clear insight and humour – I can highly recommend.”
— Tim Sheppard,
SVP & General Manager, IQVIA
“Dr. Dimitrios has been an invaluable ally to us in helping our clients and partners understand the most complex conundrums. In the last 5 years, during times of fundamental change in consumer behaviours and motivations, it has illuminated our thinking many times.”
— Michael Brown,
Head of Insight, UM
