Ontological-Socioenvironmental Dissociation and Ontological-Socioenvironmental Reorientation: An Experiential Investigation of Human–Nature Reconnection

This working paper advances the hypothesis that contemporary socioecological crises do not result solely from normative failures or lack of information, but also from a perceptual and affective disconnection between human beings and the biosphere. It introduces the concept of Ontological-Socioenvironmental Dissociation, defined as a historical and cultural condition in which the experiential sense of belonging to nature becomes obscured, even though biological dependence remains intact.The paper argues that norms and regulatory structures, while indispensable, often operate as partial substitutes for affective commitment, thereby generating fragile and unstable responses. It proposes to explore Ontological-Socioenvironmental Reorientation as a process of perceptual, affective, and ethical reactivation aimed at restoring balance between differentiation and belonging.By integrating phenomenological reflection with socioenvironmental analysis, the study seeks to generate theoretical contributions capable of informing future practices of ecological care, environmental education, and socioenvironmental governance. This is a revised and expanded version of the previously published working paper.