Identity, Social Connection, and Loneliness

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-smmhg-1b0df87

This video is based on research conducted by Dr. Curtis Peterson on the Ecological Identity Model (EIM) offers a holistic framework for understanding mental health by viewing the individual’s identity as a fluid system shaped by their surrounding environment. Rather than locating pathology solely within a person, this model suggests that psychological wellness occurs when there is harmony between an individual and their familial, cultural, and natural systems. When these relationships become fractured due to factors like historical trauma or social instability, the resulting ecological incongruence manifests as mental distress. Drawing heavily from Indigenous perspectives, the model shifts the focus of clinical practice from diagnosing internal dysfunction to restoring balancewithin a person’s broader life context. By integrating various historical psychological paradigms, the EIM encourages practitioners to ask how disrupted systems can be healed rather than simply treating isolated symptoms.