Within psychology there are a large number of branches and different fields, due to the diversity of objects of study and practical applications of this academic discipline. One of the youngest fields of study in psychology is environmental psychology. But what is environmental psychology? Environmental psychology investigates very different aspects that are understood from the effect of different variables of the environment until the development of sustainable and respectful cities environment. If you want to know more about this field of psychology, he continues reading this article from Psychology-Online: What is environmental psychology: definition, characteristics and examples.
For a few years, there has been a greater concern and consideration for the environment and its problems. This increased interest encourages the development of environmental awareness, by which it is considered that human beings are responsible for the changes that occur in our environment, as well as this environment is capable of influencing our emotions and behaviors
Environmental psychology: definition
What is environmental psychology? Environmental psychology is recognized as an interdisciplinary field within psychology in the 1960s. The definition of environmental psychology is as follows: study and analysis of the interrelation and interaction of human beings with their environment. It encompasses and distinguishes between natural, man-made, social, learning, and informational environments.
The environmental psychology or ecological psychology it focuses on the different behavioral and psychological variables of people in relation to the exchange that occurs with different environments. The environment is not a neutral space, but an environment marked by meanings. It consists of a context in which the space-time dimensions acquire great importance, as well as the cultural meanings and systems of values and beliefs that are developed in the same. It is therefore the space that builds the functioning of the person and the behavior of the human being that in turn models this environment.
There are antecedents of environmental psychology in the decade of the 40s, in which the relationship between person and environment. In this decade and that of the 1950s, the theoretical works of authors such as Kurt Lewin, Roger Barker and Herbert F. Wright. These contributions culminate in the proliferation of studies in this field in the 70s and the consolidation of environmental psychology as its own discipline and differentiated from others. From this moment on, various authors analyze and develop various methodologies, concepts, and theoretical approaches to environmental psychology.
Likewise, knowledge about environmental or ecological psychology is collected and unified in manuals. One of the most notable is the manual of environmental psychology by Charles J. Hellohan of the year 1991. East environmental psychology book offers a definition, characteristics and object of study of environmental psychology, as well as brings together the knowledge and research of the relationship between the environment and the person, such as the importance of personal space, the effects of the environment on performance, the consequences of urban design etc.
Environmental psychology: characteristics
The defining characteristics of environmental psychology are as follows:
- Consideration of relationships between humans and the environment as bidirectionalTherefore, the object of study of this discipline are the effects of the environment on people and the impact of human beings on the environment. Therefore, the reciprocal and mutual relationship between behavior and the ecological niche is studied.
- The environment is not only analyzed from a physical perspective, but also from a social perspective. This is why only those physical variables of the environment are not taken into account, such as space and time, as well as social variables, such as culture and the value system. Both aspects have a great influence on the behavioral functioning of the human being. Therefore, in environmental psychology it is object of analysis the sociophysical environment.
- The approach of environmental psychology is holistic, that is, analyze the environment as a whole, in a comprehensive and integrated way. It is based on a global perspective, on the interaction of the different components of the environment, instead of the isolation of these elements and their partial and separate analysis.
- The orientation of environmental or ecological psychology is practical, so its goal is to offer an applied response to different social demands. Although environmental psychology develops concepts and theoretical explanations, it has a vocation applied, is aimed at achieving changes in the environment that facilitate both human and environmental. Therefore, there is an intimate relationship between theory and practice.
- Environmental psychology it is interdisciplinary, since it shares studies and draws on other disciplines such as biology, geography, architecture, ergonomics, urban anthropology etc.
- The methodology used in this field of study it's eclectic, which means that different methodological procedures are used in the investigation. The use of a variety of methods and experimental designs favors a more complete approach to the object of study.
- The perspective of environmental psychology is non-deterministic, people are not considered passive subjects before the environment, but capable beings and oriented to the production of changes and alterations in the environment. There is a dynamic exchange of influences between humans and the environment.
Broadly speaking, the object of study and objective of environmental psychology is the interaction and interrelation between the person and the context, both physical and social. However, within this discipline we can distinguish various approaches or objects of study of it. Next, we list the different topics that environmental psychology studies:
- Relationship between physical space and behavior: Research on the variables of physical space and their influence on human behavior. From this approach, personal space, territoriality, overcrowding, appropriation and distribution of spaces, etc. are analyzed.
- Influence of environmental variables on human behavior: studies the incidence of different environmental dimensions and their effects on people's perceptions, cognitions and emotions, as well as their adaptation to them. Studies on elements such as environmental stress, noise, light, color, climate and temperature, and pollution and their effects are included. psychological and physical consequences About people. The effects on performance and variability of the effects of these variables in different settings are also included.
- Environmental planning and design: approach and creation of environments based on the consideration of environmental variables and their effects on people. On the other hand, it also applies to the design of environments and products that are ecological, respectable and sustainable for the environment, based on the consequences on the environment.
- Environmental knowledge: refers to the subjective and mental representation that people have about their environment, as well as the meanings and emotions linked to it. This branch studies how human beings perceive and understand the environment on a personal level and organize it in the mind.
- Behaviors and attitudes towards the environment: analysis of cultural and psychological differences in the development of attitudes and awareness about the environment, as well as study of the factors that influence these. The different motivations that lead to concern about the environment are also analyzed.
- Relationship between population groups and their relationship with the environment: analysis of the specific needs of certain population groups in relation to the construction and distribution of spaces, as well as the difficulties they experience derived from this design.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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