This article argues that the phenomenon of a genetic/cultural “adaptive-lag” is both the motive for the human predisposition to engage in transformative learning and the origin of anxiety and associated ego-defences that mitigate against the likelihood of transforming epistemic assumptions. Dodds’ (2011) ecopsychoanalytic interpretation of Winnicott’s concept of a holding environment provides the conditions to reduce the impact of ego-defences by containing anxiety and therefore supporting the transformation of epistemic assumptions. Such holding environments are conceived to extend from intimate familial and social relationships to include wider ecological interconnectedness. Narratives, literature, and evidence from clinical psychedelic drug studies highlight how an increased sensitivity towards the natural nonhuman world diminishes ego-defences, enhancing the possibility for transformative learning. The implications for educational settings are that complex and difficult learning should not be ameliorated and that conditions enabling learners to recognize and manage their own anxieties will enhance epistemic transformation.

中文翻译：

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变革性学习的生态学：从自我到生态的转变

本文认为，遗传/文化“适应滞后”现象既是人类倾向进行变革性学习的动机，也是焦虑和相关自我防御的根源，这些自我防御减轻了变革认知假设的可能性。Dodds (2011) 对 Winnicott 的持有环境概念的生态心理分析解释提供了条件，通过抑制焦虑来减少自我防御的影响，从而支持认知假设的转变。这种保持环境被设想为从亲密的家庭和社会关系扩展到更广泛的生态相互关联。来自临床迷幻药物研究的叙述、文献和证据强调了对自然非人类世界的敏感性增加如何减少自我防御，提高变革性学习的可能性。对教育环境的影响是，复杂和困难的学习不应得到改善，使学习者能够认识和管理自己的焦虑的条件将促进认知转变。