How Geology Shapes Psychological Attachment to Place

We don’t just live on the Earth—we live with it. And as it shifts, so do we.

The cliffs we grew up next to, the stones beneath our feet, the hills we named and knew by heart—these aren’t just settings. They’re anchors. Geologists describe landscapes as dynamic, constantly shaped by time and pressure. But psychologists are beginning to see what happens when those changes collide with human identity, memory, and belonging.

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The Psychology of Place

“Place attachment” refers to the emotional bonds people form with specific locations, often rooted in routine, memory, or identity (Scannell & Gifford, 2010). For many, especially those in coastal or rural areas, the land is not just a backdrop—it’s part of the self. When geological forces like erosion, earthquakes, or extraction alter that land, the psychological effects can mirror grief.

Research in environmental psychology has shown that disruption of meaningful places can lead to stress, disorientation, and even trauma (Fullilove, 2004). Think of the slow loss of homes to coastal erosion, or the visible scars left by mining. These aren't only ecological shifts—they’re personal ruptures.

Landscapes in Transition

Geology tells us that no place is permanent. Tectonic plates move. Rivers shift course. Rocks weather and fall. But when these changes happen in the span of a human life, they become emotionally charged. In Puerto Rico, for instance, residents of Loíza have watched parts of their shoreline vanish over the past decade, a loss amplified by the trauma of repeated hurricanes and governmental neglect (Bonilla, 2020).

This ongoing reshaping doesn’t just change the land—it challenges cultural continuity and mental health. The disappearing coastline is a symbol, a warning, and a wound.

From Extraction to Disconnection

It’s not just natural forces that trigger this psychological-geological tension. Extractivism—especially mining and fossil fuel extraction—often transforms landscapes in irreversible ways. Studies show that these transformations can fracture the psychological bonds that communities have with place, particularly when local populations are excluded from decisions about their environment (Askland & Bunn, 2018).

This disconnection from the land can lead to what Albrecht (2005) calls “solastalgia”—the distress caused by environmental change close to one’s home. It's grief without a funeral, a sense of loss while still physically present.

Toward a More Grounded Understanding

Psychology and geology rarely appear in the same conversation, but they should. Together, they tell a fuller story—one where the physical and emotional layers of the Earth are deeply intertwined. Geoscientists can learn from psychology how landscape changes affect people’s well-being. Psychologists, in turn, can ground their theories more literally—in rock, sediment, and soil.

Perhaps the future lies not just in mapping what the Earth is made of, but in understanding what people are made of when the Earth changes beneath them.

References

Albrecht, G. (2005). Solastalgia: A new concept in health and identity. PAN: Philosophy Activism Nature, 3, 41–55.

Askland, H. H., & Bunn, M. (2018). Lived experiences of environmental change: Solastalgia, power and place. Emotion, Space and Society, 27, 16–22.

Bonilla, Y. (2020). Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm. Haymarket Books.

Fullilove, M. T. (2004). Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America, and What We Can Do About It. One World/Ballantine.

Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2010). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 1–10.