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Why CLD is relevant to health and wellbeing

A parable of our time

Jade and Darren

JeanAndrew

Soundings from Scotland

Do people perceive materialism, consumerism and individualism as influential in daily life? What does this mean for their wellbeing and that of those around them?

Exploring these questions with groups/individuals drawn from elite, secure and excluded Scotland*.

(*Adapted from the Scottish Council Foundation’s conceptualisation of Scotland as three different types of place to live: settled, insecure, excluded.)

The Iron Cage of Consumerism

“People live in their own bubble, getting in their own car to drive to work, staying in their own home. Community spirit has gone and this compounds the issue. We’re all in debt. You’re stressed, you go to work, you go home. You sit in front of the TV. There’s no family dinner, no time to talk problems through, sort things out. You’re just working to afford that TV. There’s no time for your children when you come home at night. No time to talk.”

(Prisoner group)

Education as a consumer product

“People everywhere live busy, consumer-driven lives. Their energies are devoted to money, mortgages and there’s no time for emotional energy. Parents round here want to be something, they’re conscious of material wealth and income and have worked hard to get here. They have more stuff, cars, washing machines – but they’re still dreadfully poor, because it’s relative. They know that educational qualifications are what allow you to make that step up so they push for results. They can’t afford to pay the fees but they want to treat us as a private school! Their children are the same. It’s very much ‘I want to be a lawyer, doctor or dentist’. They’re very materially focused.”

(Headteacher)

Experiencing exclusion

“It’s symptomatic of a kind of society that doesn’t value people but does value possessions. I think it may be that for a certain group of people it's becoming okay to sneer at the poor.”

“The economy depends on you being unhappy because you haven't got these things. So you have to work to buy them to be happy. If it wasn't for you being unhappy because of this, the economy wouldn't work.”

“In a third world society I would be a millionairess with money, a home, warmth. I’m low down in my society because I don’t work and live on benefits.”

(Mental Health Advocacy Group)

Spiritual value or exploitation through fear

“Our focus needs to go down to the spiritual, to the value and worth of a human being. Virtually nothing in society promotes that. We are exploitable because we are fearful. If you live in a society that’s been founded on exploitation of the masses, how are you going to de-condition them? How do you make people feel more confident in themselves?”

“We‘re all trapped in the cycle of consumerism. And powerful groups can’t be expected to support anything that will counter techniques for maintaining social dominance.”

The Integral Model

I

ISubjective

thoughts, feelings, perceptions, values, beliefs, attitudes, assumptions; intentions;

moral sense; motivation, purpose, resolve, commitment; mental health &

well-being; spiritual commitment

ItObjective

material body and brain; physical health & well-being; activities & behaviours;

tools & techniques; material resources; diet & fitness; actions towards others &

the environment

WeInter-subjective

shared attitudes, beliefs, meanings, worldviews; collective norms & ethics;

shared visions & goals, stories & myths; shared history, customs, language, relationships & cultural background

ItsInter-objective

natural & built environments; ecological & human systems; government/community institutions; infrastructure & governance

processes; organisational systems & structures; programmes & services; laws,

policies & protocols

Andrew goes to his GP with depression, alcohol concerns and obesity

Inner/

Subjective

Outer/ Objective

Individual level I It

Various forms of treatment offered: anti-depressant medication / CBT/ positive psychology etc;

Advice on lifestyle changes (physical activity; diet; alcohol etc).

Collective level We ItsSystems, structures, economies

Public Health adds its contribution

Inner/

Subjective

Outer/ Objective

Individual level I It

Various forms of treatment offered: anti-depressant medication / CBT/ positive psychology etc;

Advice on lifestyle changes (physical activity; diet; alcohol etc).

Collective level We Its

A social marketing to promote mental wellbeing. Action on the structural determinants of health (better public transport, food availability, pollution control, access to green spaces etc). Policies on work-life balance.

An integral approach

Inner/

Subjective

Outer/ Objective

Individual level

I

Contemplative, mindful practices such as meditation and prayer to promote self-awareness/ self-mastery.

It

Treatment offered: Lifestyle changes supported

Physical and mental health seen as a key resource

Collective level

We

Move towards global forms of consciousness, aware of the finite and vulnerable nature of our physical environment. We make social consumption decisions. We think and act out of concerns for a sustainable, equitable human future.

Its

Action on the structural determinants of health (better public transport, food availability, pollution control, access to green spaces etc). Workplace policies on work-life balance.

Greater Equity. Less targets.

Modernity is in crisis

Individualism

Consumerism

Materialism

Dis-eases of modernity

Economism

Modernity is coming to an end – a change of age

Individualism

Consumerism

Materialism

Sustainability

Dis-eases of modernity

Economism

Plato’s idea

Plato and Wilber

Inner/

Subjective

Outer/ Objective

Individual level

IThe inner life –

self & conscious

ness

ItObjective - empirical

Exterior – biological, physical

Collective level

WeThe inter-

subjective or cultural world

ItsSystems,

structures, economies

Integral Living

BeautifulAesthetic

RightEthical

TrueScientific

Life Integrates the true,the good

the beautiful

Integral Public Health

BeautifulAesthetic

GoodEthical

TrueScientific

IntegralPublic Health

Integral Public Health

Ecological Aesthetics

ConventionalAesthetic

Ecological Ethics

ConventionalEthics

Ecological Science

ConventionalScience

IntegralPublic Health

Integral Public Health – health services

Ecological Aesthetics

ConventionalAesthetic

Ecological Ethics

ConventionalEthics

Ecological Science

ConventionalScience

IntegralPublic Health

Evidence based medicine

Complexity theory – order generating rules

Do less harm

Promote autonomy – self care and mutual care

Contraction and convergence

Beautiful buildings

Healing environments

Working for and interacting with NHS lifts spirits and raises consciousness

Health protection: regeneration

Ecological Aesthetics

ConventionalAesthetic

Ecological Ethics

ConventionalEthics

Ecological Science

ConventionalScience

IntegralPublic Health

Evidence based methods for housing and place making

Training, education, employment etc. and ‘whole of life’ - a single complex interactive system

Rights and responsibilities balanced

Citizens not consumers

On planet living – the spirit level analsysis

Places and buildings that lift our spirits

Places and buildings that lift our consciousness

Health improvement: food

Ecological Aesthetics

ConventionalAesthetic

Ecological Ethics

ConventionalEthics

Ecological Science

ConventionalScience

IntegralPublic Health

Evidence based protocols: to prevent disease and promote

health and sustainability Understand the impact of whole food system on human and ecosystem wellbeing

Access to healthy food for all.

Ensure food security

Zero waste: sustainability balanced with health and cost

Slow food

Seasonal food

Food for friendship, ritual, communication

Mindsets change resulting in a different relationship with food.

Integral Community Learning and Development?

Ecological Aesthetics

ConventionalAesthetic

Ecological Ethics

ConventionalEthics

Ecological Science

ConventionalScience

IntegralCLD

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