The Concept of Restorative Experiences - Essay Example

? Module Workshop Activity - “Natural” Settings are Inherently more Restorative than “Man-Made” Settings - Number and Number Name of Professor Date of Submission Number of Words: 1,051 Introduction In the study of psychology, restorative nature is considered to play a significant role when it comes to the ability of each individual to their ability to restore attention. Considering the significance of natural environments with regards to the context of human-environment relationship, this essay seeks to address the questions to whether or not “natural” settings are inherently more restorative than “man-made” settings. Using first-hand experiences, two examples each of natural and man-made settings which could strengthen the ability of each individual to restore a normal mental functioning will be provided in details. Basically, a total of four examples will be used in determining whether natural settings are inherently more restorative as compared to man-made settings. Different Impact of Natural Settings and Man-Made Settings on Restorative Experiences Natural settings or natural environment is simply referring to the beauty of our environment that are not man-made by nature (i.e. trees, mountains, ocean, etc.). On the other hand, man-made settings includes: the urban environment wherein tall buildings are present, etc (Millon, 2003: 425). In general, the word “restorative” was derived from the word “restore”. It means to reinstate, re-establish, or to bring back something. With this in mind, restorative experiences are simply referring to a personal experience or the experience of another person which could effectively enable the person to re-call or reflect upon his or her own personal experiences. Kaplan (1995) explained that natural or man-made environment have different and significant impact when it comes to enabling us recall our past and current experiences in life. In general, human experiences can either be good (something pleasant) or bad (something unpleasant). Since human beings have the tenacity to block or simply forget our bad experiences in life, it becomes a common defense mechanism for each person to simply choose to avoid recalling places that could remind us about our negative emotions. This concept applies to both natural and man-made environments. Having in mind that it is normal for human beings to forget about their bad experiences in life, Korpela et al. (2001) revealed that it is common for people to remember environments that could help them bring positive experiences. It makes more sense that natural environments could help us restore good experiences as compared to man-made environments. This is mostly likely due to the fact that natural environments that enables us to recall positive experiences could make us forget worrying about our problems in life. Instead of triggering stress, the use of our favorite natural environments could make us relax and enjoy life. The problem with man-made environments is that relationship between people and the environment triggers the presence of negative emotions such as stress, irritability, and anxiety. According to Kaplan & Kaplan (1989: 172) “the concept of restorative experiences or restorative environments is referring to such opportunities of reducing the presence of fatigue in directed attention”. For this reason, it is safe to conclude that the use of natural settings are inherently more restorative as compared to man-made settings. Furthermore, the emotional, psychological, and mental benefits associated with natural environments explain why natural settings are commonly applied in the study of restorative experiences. As a result, it is common for people to consider natural settings as a significant part of our favourite places. Two Examples of Natural Settings and Two Examples of Man-Made Settings A good example of natural settings that can be considered as restorative environments include: (1) going to a nearby park where there are a lot of colorful flowers and tall trees; and (2) going to a beach with white sand and listening to the sound of waves. Basically, these two identified natural environments do not only promote affective relationship but also focuses on removing physical and cognitive stress in people. The fact that these two examples of natural environments could effectively reduce stress, a lot of studies conclude that going to these places could somehow restore mental clarity among people who are mentally exhausted and hasten recovery especially on the part of the sick individuals (Bowler et al., 2010; Korpela et al., 2001; Kaplan, 1995). This explains why it is common on the part of many psychologists to make use of natural environment in the promotion of better health and psychological development among people who are seeking professional assistance. A good example of man-made environment is going home to a husband/wife who has been caught having a secret relationship with a third party. Because of adultery, the person going home may just end up experiencing more psychological distress and depression. Another example of man-made environment is the work environment. Assuming that person “A” continuously suffer from harassment on the ground of sexual orientation by his co-workers, each time person “A” enters the workplace environment could only trigger more anxiety, hurt, fear, and disappointment each time he deals with other people in that surrounding. These are among the few reasons why man-made environments are not considered inherently more restorative as compared to natural settings. Conclusion Kaplan & Kaplan (1989: 172) explained that “the concept of restorative experiences or restorative environments is referring to such opportunities of reducing the presence of fatigue in directed attention”. This is mostly likely due to the fact that natural environments that enables us to recall positive experiences could make us forget worrying about our problems in life. Instead of triggering stress, the use of our favorite natural environments could make us relax and enjoy life. With this in mind, it is safe to conclude that the use of natural settings are inherently more restorative as compared to man-made settings. I strongly agree that human beings are a significant part of the natural world. For this reason, psychologists are commonly using natural settings in restorative experiences. Even though I strongly believe that all creatures in this world are interrelated in the sense that one could either positively or negatively affect the other, I personally feel more dominant as compared to “lower” creatures. There are limits to what we can access virtually. Despite its limitations, the use of technology can somehow provide solutions to our problems. Mismatch between beliefs and behavior includes the fact that people in general consider the use of technology in solving our problems. The fact that technology is man-made already violates the belief that natural settings are more inherent to restoration. *** End *** References Bowler, D., Buyung-Ali, L., Knight, T., & Pullin, A. (2010). A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health , 10: 456-466. Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A psychological perspective. In Kaplan, S. (ed) "The Restorative Benefits of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework". 1995. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 15: 169-182. Kaplan, S. (1995). THE RESTORATIVE BENEFITS OF NATURE: TOWARD AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK. Journal of Environmental Psychology , 15: 169-182. Korpela, K., Hartig, T., Kaiser, F., & Fuhrer, U. (2001). Restorative Experience and Self-Regulation in Favorite Places. Environment and Behavior , 33(4): 572-589 . Millon, T. (2003). Handbook of psychology: Personality and social psychology. Vol. 5 . NJ: John Wiley * Sons. Read More