Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments. Since its conception, the field has been committed to the development of a discipline that is both value oriented and problem oriented, prioritizing research aiming at solving complex environmental problems in the pursuit of individual well-being within a larger society.[1] When solving problems involving human-environment interactions, whether global or local, one must have a model of human nature that predicts the environmental conditions under which humans will behave in a decent and creative manner. With such a model one can design, manage, protect and/or restore environments that enhance reasonable behavior, predict what the likely outcome will be when these conditions are not met, and diagnose problem situations. The field develops such a model of human nature while retaining a broad and inherently multidisciplinary focus. It explores such dissimilar issues as common property resource management, way finding in complex settings, the effect of environmental stress on human performance, the characteristics of restorative environments, human information processing, and the promotion of durable conservation behavior. This multidisciplinary paradigm has not only characterized the dynamic for which environmental psychology is expected to develop, but it has been the catalyst in attracting other schools of knowledge in its pursuit as well aside from research psychologists. Geographers, economists, policy-makers, sociologists, anthropologists, educators, and product developers all have discovered and participated in this field.[1] Although "environmental psychology" is arguably the best-known and most comprehensive description of the field, it is also known as human factors science, cognitive ergonomics, environmental social sciences, architectural psychology, socio-architecture, ecological psychology, eco-psychology, behavioral geography, environment-behavior studies, person-environment studies, environmental sociology, social ecology, and environmental design research.
Proshansky, H.M. (1987). "The field of environmental psychology: securing its future.". In D. Stokols and I. Altman.. 'Handbook of environmental psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons.. pp. 1467–1488. ISBN 0471630179. http://books.google.com/books?id=IZd9AAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
BRIEF SUMMARY
I think that environmental psychology is basically the study of how human’s react in different environments. Scientists can use this study to see how moods, appetites, feelings, health, and the overall state of a human are affected when changes occur in the environment. Such as when the seasons change, or the weather change, or were an individual lives changes. The field of Environmental Psychology is broad and can be broken down into different categories those being Place identity, place attachment, environmental consciousness, and Behavior settings. All these play a role in how a certain person will feel. Psychology in retrospect really is a study that defines why and how a person feels and does certain things. Now when the environment is intertwined in this study it throws sort of a curve ball because the Environment really does affect ones psyche. Placement of buildings, certain architecture, personal space, and the behavior of surrounding individuals is what most scholars study when in this field.
Place Identity:
“ As a person interacts with various places and spaces, he/she is able to evaluate which properties in different environments fulfill his/her various needs. When a place contains components that satisfy a person biologically, socially, psychologically and/or culturally, it creates the environmental past of a person. Through ‘good’ or ‘bad’ experiences with a place, a person is then able to reflect and define their personal values, attitudes, feelings and beliefs about the physical world.” (Harold Proshansky)
Place Attachment:
“Place attachment, is denned as one’s emotional or affective ties to a place, and is generally thought to be the result of a long-term connection with a certain environment.[23] This is different from a simple aesthetic response such as saying a certain place is special because it is beautiful. For example, one can have an emotional response to a beautiful (or ugly) landscape or place, but this response may sometimes be shallow and fleeting. This distinction is one that Schroeder (1991) labeled “meaning versus preference”. According to Schroeder (1991) the definition of “meaning” is “the thoughts, feelings, memories and interpretations evoked by a landscape”; where as “preference” is “the degree of liking for one landscape compared to another”.[24] For a deeper and lasting emotional attachment to develop (Or in Schroeder’s terms, for it to have meaning) an enduring relationship with a place is usually a critical factor.”[25]
References Smaldone, D. (2007). The role of time in place attachment. Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, P-14. Newtown Square, PA: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Environmental Consciousness:
“Environmental cognition (involved in human cognition) plays a crucial role in environmental perception. Environmental judgment is made by the orbitofrontal cortex in the brain.[26] Because of the recent concern with the environment environmental consciousness or awareness has come to be related to the growth and development of understanding and consciousness toward the biophysical environment and its problems.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leanne_Rivlin
Works Cited
References Smaldone, D. (2007). The role of time in place attachment. Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, P-14. Newtown Square, PA: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Proshansky, H.M. (1987). "The field of environmental psychology: securing its future.". In D. Stokols and I. Altman.. 'Handbook of environmental psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons.. pp. 1467–1488. ISBN 0471630179. http://books.google.com/books?id=IZd9AAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 28 May 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leanne_Rivlin
Related Research:
Proshansky, Harold, Abbe Fabian and Robert Kaminoff. Place Identity: Physical World Socialization of the Self. Journal of Environmental Psychology (1983): 57-83
Rivlin, L.G. (1990). "Paths towards environmental consciousness." In Altman, I., Christensen, K. (Eds.). 'Environment and Behavior Studies: Emergence of Intellectual Traditions,' pp. 169–185. NY: Plenum.
Barker, Roger Garlock (1968). "Ecological Psychology: Concepts and Methods for Studying the Environment of Human Behavior."
Gifford, R. (2007). Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice (4th ed.). Colville, WA: Optimal Books
Stokols, D. and I. Altman [Eds.] (1987). Handbook of Environmental Psychology. New York: Wiley
