Susan Clayton
Susan Clayton received her B.A. from Carleton College in 1982 and her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1987. She is a member of the International Society for Justice Research (ISJR) and a Fellow of Divisions 9 and 34 and of the American Psychological Association. Clayton is on the editorial boards for the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the Journal of Social Issues, and Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy. She is a past president of Division 34, Population and Environmental Psychology
Clayton's current research focuses on the ways in which people's social identities and relationships reflect interactions with the natural environment, and on how to utilize these relationships to promote environmental conservation. This falls more generally within the emerging subfield of conservation psychology, focusing on the ways in which humans relate to the natural world. Clayton is also interested in research on justice and on identity, including gender as a group identity. She has developed an environmental identity scale, which has shown demonstrated reliability and validity in a number of scales. It is available for research use.
Primary Interests:
- Applied Social Psychology
- Ethics and Morality
- Gender Psychology
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Self and Identity
Books:
- Clayton, S., & Crosby, F. (1992). Justice, gender, and affirmative action. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
- Clayton, S., & Myers, G. (2009). Conservation psychology: Understanding and promoting human care for nature. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
- Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (Eds.). (2003). Identity and the natural environment: The psychological significance of nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Lerner, M. J., & Clayton, S. (2011). Justice and self-interest: Two fundamental motives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Journal Articles:
- Clayton, S. (2007). Domesticated nature: Motivations for gardening and perceptions of environmental impact. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27, 215-224.
- Clayton, S. (2000). New ways of thinking about environmentalism: Models of justice in the environmental debate. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 459-474.
- Clayton, S. (1998). Preference for macrojustice versus microjustice in environmental decisions. Environment and Behavior, 30, 162-183.
- Clayton, S. (1996). Reactions to social categorization: Evaluating one argument against affirmative action. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1472-1493.
- Clayton, S., & Brook, A. (2005). Can psychology help save the world? A model for conservation psychology. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 5, 87-102.
- Clayton, S., Fraser, J., & Saunders, C. (2009). Zoo experiences: Conversations, connections, and concern for animals. Zoo Biology, 28, 377-397.
- Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (2003). Justice and identity: Changing perspectives on what is fair. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 298-310.
- Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (Eds.). (1994). Green justice: Conceptions of fairness and the natural world. Journal of Social Issues, 50(3), 1-11.
- Crosby, F., & Clayton, S. (2001). Affirmative action: Psychological contributions to policy. Analysis of Social Issues and Policy, 1(1), 71-87.
- Crosby, F., Iyer, A., Clayton, S., & Downing, R. (2003). Affirmative action: Giving psychology away. American Psychologist, 58, 93-115.
Other Publications:
- Clayton, S. (2008). Attending to identity: Ideology, group membership, and perceptions of justice. In K. Hegtvedt & J. Clay-Warner (Eds.), Advances in group processes: Justice (pp. 241-266). Bingley, UK: Emerald.
- Clayton, S. (1996). What is fair in the environmental debate? In L. Montada & M. J. Lerner (Eds.), Current societal concerns about justice (pp. 195-211). New York: Plenum.
Courses Taught:
- Environmental Psychology
- Peace and Conflict
- Protecting Nature: The Why and How of Conservation
- Psychology of Women and Gender
- Social Psychology
Susan Clayton
Department of Psychology
930 College Mall
College of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio 44691
United States of America
- Phone: (330) 263-2565