Clean Sri Lanka environmentally, socially and psychologically

Philosophical approach should integrate sociological and psychological principles as an essential part of the campaign

by Prof. Athula Sumathipala

Clean Sri Lanka; what does it entail?

The mission of the “Clean Sri Lanka” project” is to reposition the nationwide efforts of environmental, social, and governance initiatives through introducing change, integration, and collaboration”.

As stated on its official website, “Clean Sri Lanka project aims to address a cleaner physical environment and a nationwide moral commitment to enhance ethical principles. Enhancement of the three pillars of sustainability; Economic, Social and Governance (EESG), have been identified as the framework to address the overarching objectives of this strategic plan with specific stakeholder goals, actions, time lines and outcomes”.

Human nature of resistance to change

Human nature is such that they are resistant to change. That is why so many people especially as organiations, when presented with a new initiative or idea—even a good one, with tons of benefits—will resist it.

We have already witnessed such resistance, in relation to the clean Sri Lanka project; threat to strikes, misinformation campaigns etc. No surprise. That resistance can also be easily exploited by the opportunists who wants to derail this programme for their own gains, no matter what the overall benefits the proposed programme brings.

The role of “proactive change management”

Proactive change management happens when leaders actively seek to manage the challenges and opportunities in a program. Every change projects comes with many unpredictable aspects. A proactive change manager will anticipate such potential challenges and plan for such problems well in advance. Thereby, they will be equipped to create contingency plans for unexpected challenges.

The role of the brain in facing changes

The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem. Cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is composed of right and left hemispheres. They interpret sights, sounds and touches. It also regulates emotions, reasoning and learning.

Cerebellum maintains the balance, posture, coordination and fine motor skills.

Brainstem, regulates many automatic body functions.

Part of the brain, the amygdala interprets change as a threat and releases the hormones leading to fear, fight, or flight. (See Figure 1)

In particular, the function of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex thinking, self-regulation, and future orientation, is only completed around the age of 24.

Because the brain’s prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers rely more on a part of the brain called the amygdala to make decisions and solve problems than adults. The amygdala is involved in emotions, impulses, aggression, and instinctual behaviour.

The limbic system, often referred to as the emotional centre of the brain, is responsible for processing emotions, forming memories, and regulating behaviour. It includes key structures like the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus, each playing a vital role in emotional and social processing.

Therefore, biologically, we can conclude that the younger generation acts more emotionally than rationally compared to the adults. However, that does not mean all adults are acting rationally. Understanding this phenomenon is in no way justifying and normalising it.

Hence, adolescents and also adults should learn about emotional regulation and improve their skills to communicate their frustrations, anger, disagreements in an acceptable and civilised manner.

Such frustrations, anger, disagreements are potential manifestations of the Clean Sri Lanka programme which could be easily exploited by opportunists.

That’s why the science and the art of science should be carefully integrated into proactive change management using cognitive behavioural principles, conformity theory and principles, as they are key components in this, Clean Sri Lanka project for successful implementation.

Emotional regulation

Emotional regulation is the conscious or unconscious processes of monitoring, evaluating, modulating, and managing emotional experiences and expression of emotion in terms of intensity, form, and duration of feelings, emotion related physiological states and behaviours.

Being able to regulate emotions is important since our emotions are closely connected to how we think and behave. Our thoughts and feelings help us to decide how best to respond to a situation and what action we should take. Essentially, emotional regulation can influence positive and negative behaviour.

Learning skills to regulate emotions means that, instead of acting impulsively and doing something that may be regretted later, we are able to make thought-out choices. It also helps out to manage our conflicts of interest or competing interests.

This means that we can learn to manage relationships with others, solve problems, and have better control over our behaviours.

To do so, one need to develop emotional intelligence. Positive attitudes and emotional intelligence go hand in hand. That is why it’s so important.

Attitude is a way of thinking or feeling about something, it’s a psychological construct which governs behaviours. Negative or destructive attitudes are like flat tyers, without changing one cannot go anywhere.

Emotional intelligence (EI)

In a book written by Daniel Goleman in 1995, on emotional intelligence theory, he outlined five components of EI: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Self-regulation; helps openness to change, motivation; helps a passion for work beyond monetary returns, energy and persistence, empathy; putting yourself in others’ shoes, social skills; ability to find common ground and rapport, and persuasiveness. People with EI makes good leaders as they can use their ability to recognise and understand their own emotions to make more informed and rational decisions. They can also use their ability to empathise with the emotions of their team members to take into account their perspectives and needs when making decisions

Emotional Intelligence can matter more than IQ; “intelligence quotient”. In his book, Goleman pointed out that emotional intelligence is as important as IQ for success, including in academic, professional, social, and interpersonal aspects of one’s life. It’s something which can be developed through coaching and mentoring.

Conformity principles

Conformity is a form of social influence that involves a change in the common belief or behaviour of a person or group of people to fit into how others are. This may have a good outcome or bad outcome.

Solomon Asch conducted several experiments in the 1950s to determine how people are affected by the thoughts and behaviours of other people. In one study, a group of participants was shown a series of printed line segments of different lengths: a, b, and c (Figure 1). Participants were then shown a fourth line segment: x. They were asked to identify which line segment from the first group (a, b, or c) most closely resembled the fourth line segment in length. (See Figure 2)

Each group of participants had only one true, outsider. The remaining members of the group were confederates of Ash. A confederate is a person who is aware of the experiment and works for the researcher. Confederates are used to manipulate social situations as part of the research design, and the true, outside participants believe that confederates are, like them, uninformed participants in the experiment. In Asch’s study, the confederates identified a line segment that was shorter than the target line a, the wrong answer. The outside participant then had to identify aloud the line segment that best matched the target line segment.

Asch (1955) found that 76% of participants conformed to group pressure at least once by indicating the incorrect line. Conformity is the change in a person’s behavior to go along with the group, even if he does not agree with the group.

Research shows that the size of the majority, the presence of another dissenter, and the public or relatively private nature of responses are key influences on conformity.

The size of the majority: The greater the number of people in the majority, the more likely an individual will conform. In Asch’s study, conformity increased with the number of people in the majority, up to seven individuals. At numbers beyond seven, conformity leveled off and decreased slightly. The presence of another dissenter: If there is at least one dissenter, conformity rates drop to near zero (Asch, 1955).

The correct answer to the line segment question was obvious, and it was an easy task. But the outsiders who participated in the study gave wrong answers. Researchers (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955) have categorized the motivation to conform into two types: normative social influence and informational social influence

In normative social influence, people conform to the group norm to fit in, feel good, and be accepted by the group. However, with informational social influence, people conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, particularly when the task or situation is ambiguous.

So, what is happening in current society. The great majority of good people conform to the bad minority allowing the wrong thing to happen. Therefore, the very same conformity principles can be used by empowering the majority of good people not to conform to the bad or wrong minority.

To achieve that people should get out of the “learned helplessness” mode, which was described by Seligman in 1976. Learned helplessness is what social science researchers call it when a person is unable to find resolutions to difficult situations, even when a solution is accessible. People that struggle with learned helplessness tend to complain a lot, feeling overwhelmed and incapable of making any positive difference in their circumstances. The feel that they are powerless to change others who have conformed to the “norm”. They give up and just get one.

There is also the bystander effect, or bystander apathy. Social psychological theory states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim or initiate an action in the presence of other people. They simply assume that the other person will do it. If everybody expects the other person will do ultimately no one will do it.

Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social psychologists explain human behavior as a result of the relationship between mental states and social situations, studying the social conditions under which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occur, and how these variables influence social interactions.

The best way to describe what to do in the context of all the above phenomena are operating, is using Cognitive behavioural theory and interventions based on that. Cognitive-Behavioral Theory states that human thinking determines human behaviour and feeling. Therefore, by changing one you can change the other.

The triad; behaviors, thoughts and feelings

The basis of cognitive behavioral theory is that a person’s thoughts, ideas, and beliefs underpin their emotional reactions and behaviors. (See Figure 2)

As described in the above diagram we have assumptions and core beliefs about us, the others, the future, the country, the world and so on. We call it a schemata. We process information using these schemata. Some of these can be positive and useful (functional) and some are negative and counterproductive.

The easiest way to understand this is to learn about Kisa Gothami’s story. When Kisa Gothami’s newborn son died, she did not realize so and she ran to Lord Buddha asking him to cure her son. Lord Buddha at once knew that the baby was dead but wanted Kisa Gothami to learn about death herself. Lord Buddha asked her to find a handful of mustard seeds from a household where no one has died. She went knocking on all the doors in the village but could not find a single house without a death in the family. Soon she realized the lesson Lord Buddha was trying to teach her: that no family is spared the occurrence of death. Lord Buddha used a bahaviour to teach Kisa Gothami to change the way she thinks about death. We call it cognitive restructuring.

Compatibilities between cognitive approaches to therapy, such as CBT, and Buddhism have been acknowledged by its originators Aron Beck (2005) and Kwee & Ellis (1998).

Our nation needs mass scale cognitive behavioural interventions to change the way they think about many things; us, others, future, country, what is rights and wrongs, one’s responsibilities and duties. We need to change our learned helplessness mentality created through the so-called bankrupt society that has no future.

Without addressing these assumptions, core beliefs, and thinking errors; the schemata, by using scientific principle and interventions, to change the crucial behaviors and thinking neither the President nor 159 MPs alone will be able to do much for the nation who expect a paradigm shift in the development of a nation. Their duty was not finished by voting a new President and a Government into power with the 2/3^rd majority.

Each citizen who is seriously thinking of a prosperous nation need to change first to change the country and it;s wrong doings. If you want the Government to stop bribery and corruption you need to first stop offering bribes. Reflect on your self first and also inculcate such attitudes in the younger generations with optimism.

Role of media in behavioural change

The media has an undisputed role in influencing behavioral change by shaping public opinion, disseminating information, and creating awareness.

Raising awareness through campaigns can promote positive behaviors, changing stereotypes, bringing progressive narratives. modeling behaviors in films or on social media, can inspire individuals to adopt similar behaviors.

Creating social pressure through peer Influence challenging conformity, learned helplessness, conducting campaigns on social media encouraging widespread behavioral change, educating and empowering, supporting and influencing public policy and reinforcing positive behaviors are a few.

However, be mindful that media is a double-edged sword, it can inspire positive change when used responsibly but can also perpetuate negative behaviors if misused. Its influence on behavior depends largely on the accuracy, ethics, and creativity of the content it disseminates.

Be mindful, for the first time in history, the essential and fundamental conditions; objective and subjective, have come together offering a golden opportunity for a genuine change. The political leadership should not leave any stone unturned to use the scientific advances of science relevant to

three fundamental components: biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. These elements are not isolated; they interact dynamically to shape the way we perceive the world and respond to it. They should understand how these foundational aspects of behavior provide a framework for understanding the complex nature of human actions and how to change them.

The author of this article is an internationally renowned academic with a strong track record in research especially carried out in Sri Lanka using cognitive behavioural principles. Some of his interventions are considered front line in post disaster situations.

He is an Emeritus Professor at Kings College London and Keele University. He is also the Director, Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social care and the Chairman of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies.

He had been an invited plenary speaker at the 11th International Congress on Behavioural Medicine, Washington DC, USA (August 2010), 19th World Psychiatric Association (WPA), World Congress of Psychiatry, Portugal, Lisbon (August, 2019). Melbourne, Australia (February, 2018). 16th Congress of the International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology Melbourne, Australia (Oct, 2017), Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZAP) Napier, New Zealand (Oct 2007), to name a few related to cognitive behavioral theory/therapy.