The Sphere of Environmental Psychology - Research Paper Example

Environmental Psychology Environmental psychology is a field of study that focused on the interplay between human beings and their living surroundings. It is an interdisciplinary study involving two distinct fields. It is interplay between humans and their surroundings. Principally, the term can be best described by considering the meaning of each of the words used. The term environmental is used to describe the nature of the surrounding. It can be natural surroundings, social surrounding, built environment, learning environments, political surrounding, economical, technological surrounding and informational environment. Environmental psychology is therefore, a study of the association between an environment as a whole and how that environment affects its inhabitants either positively or negatively (Allodi 5). There is close association between environmental psychology and several other disciplines. In other words, environmental psychology is not an independent discipline. In order for someone to discern the concepts of environmental psychology, he or she must have some background information related to a number of disciplines such as sociology, political science, anthropology and economics. There is also a need for background information in psychology-related fields such as psychology, mental science, organization theory, and social neuroscience. Nevertheless, environmental psychology has roles in the design field that includes the studies of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture and preservation. Fundamentally, the field involves identifying an environmental and psychological problem and through the identification of said problem, discovering the possible remedy to that problem. Therefore, it is necessary for environmental psychology to be tactical enough, observative, and problem oriented (Dorman & Barry 78). The main feature of the problem identified by environmental psychologist is that it must be originating from particular environment and must have some psychological component. Unlike the field of psychology, sociology, the environmental psychology tends to be more comprehensive in that it has broader coverage. The problem can be psychological effects of urban crowding or the architectural design of public settings. In whatever the case it might be, the environmental psychologist would identify the facts related to the problem. Upon identification of the facts, he or she would organize the facts in a systematic manner to come up with a theory explaining the problem. The resultant theory would form a basis for solution to the problem. This is how the field is problem-oriented (Fraser 27). Identification of an environmental problem is followed by studious investigation of various variables related to the problem. The variables would help the environmental psychologist come up with a solution to the problem. This helps in creating knowledge about the workings of societies. Firstly, the problems being identified must be studied under certain stipulation. It must be current and occurring in real life situation. Secondly, the notions about the problems must originate directly from the source - meaning they must be directly from the specific environment where the problem is emerging. The solutions and understanding of the problems cannot come from constructed and modeled environment. Environmental psychology needs to reflect the real society not the abstract society modeled in a laboratory setting. This pose a great challenge to the environmental psychologist because he or she must study problems as they are occurring in everyday life (Dorman & Barry 77). The field is value-oriented and problem-oriented. It give preferences to the research that aim at improving the individual wellbeing within a larger society by solving complex environmental problems. On key requirement of an environmental psychologist is that he or she must have a model of human nature that predicts the environmental conditions under which humans will behave in a descent and creative manner. This would enable him solve problems involving human-environment interactions, whether global or local in an amicable manner. The model also allows environmental psychologist to design, manage, protect and reinstate environment that augment reasonable behavior, envisage what might be the likely outcome will be when these conditions are not met, and make a diagnosis of the problem conditions. The field bases its analysis on the multidisciplinary focus (Fraser 24). It explores several aspects of environment and/ or psychology such as the consequence of environmental stress on human performance, the features of restorative environments, and the endorsement of durable conservation behavior (Dorman & Barry 78). Environmental psychologist aims at addressing environmental problems such as population density and crowding, noise pollution. He or she also focuses on sub-standard living and urban decay for example prostitution, robbery in addition, kidnapping. Noise pollution increases environmental stress. For such cases, the environmental psychologist needs to focus on those variables that are related to noise pollution. These include the context, pitch; source and habituation. It have been theorized that density and crowding can also have an adverse effect on mood and may cause stress- related illness such as stroke. Stress is a psychological condition caused by environmental factor. This means that the environmental psychologist has a bigger role to play in alleviating stress related to the noise pollution. Having theoretically described the scope and the uniqueness of the field of environmental psychology, the next section of this paper would focus on some of the day-to-day routine practices that are important as far as environmental psychology is concerned. As mentioned above, environmental psychologists believe concepts and principles should come directly from the physical settings. The paper would specifically focus on the interplay between environmental psychology and architectural skills. As stated above, crowding is an environmental factor that has some psychological effects. In an attempt to alleviate the negative consequences of overcrowding, an environmental psychologist would consider a number of physical settings of the building as discussed below. Windows constitute one of the key element that is of concern to the environmental psychologist as far as crowding is concerned. Windows has a number of roles to play as far as easing of the overcrowding related problems is concerned. Opening the windows in a crowded environment or building is an important. It ensures that there is free circulation of air inside and outside the building therefore making sure there is plenty of fresh air. Fresh air would enhance oxidation and hence energizing the individuals. Also light should penetrate through to ensure that someone can see well without any problem of visibility. The height of the ceilings is also of concern to the environmental psychologist. High ceilings ensure that there is no close contact between the floor and the ceiling so that noise pollution especially when raining is minimal. Hence, someone inside the building cannot be much disturbed therefore can stay in a conducive environment (Bechtel & Arzahman 73). From the environmental psychologist point of view, doors are meant to divide spaces and provide access control. It ensures that there is proper utilization of the available space to avoid wastage and enhance economical use of the space. In addition, it acts as a barrier since one can use it to control those people who should be allowed to enter through and those not allowed. According to PRX, behaviors such as creating barriers and customizing form bases for understanding the relationship between environment and psychology. Customization of the space, for instance using pictures of one's family in an office setting are ways of creating personal space. This increases mental control as one sees oneself as having control over the competitors to the personal space and therefore able to control the level of density and crowding in the space (Examining the Lived World 113). The shape of the room is also of concern to environmental psychologist. Squared rooms feel less crowded than rectangular ones. Environmental psychologist therefore has a role to play during construction of public buildings. They set some standards based on the use of the building being constructed. Their aim is to ensure that the building being constructed meets the environmental standards. The use of partitions to create smaller, personalized spaces within an open plan office is also an aspect of environmental psychologist. Therefore, spaces are properly in use and ensure there is privacy and confidentiality among the employees when dealing with issues touching them. Other architectural aspects that are of concern to environmental psychologist include ventilation, light and privacy. These aspects ensure that everyone is comfortable within the working environment to perform his or her respective duties efficiently and in accordance with the expectation of the management to have a presentable output. In addition, it helps to boost the relationship among employees themselves and between employer and employees (Cassidy 57) Creating a defensible space so that one can have an opportunity to express himself or herself in case of any matter that can result to a criminal or civil liability. It also reduces the negative effects of crowding in urban environments for instance theft cases, robbery, murder, rapping and car hijacking. Environmental psychology is inclined towards influencing the work of design professionals for example designers, engineers, interior designers and urban planners thereby improving the human environment (Good & Gerald 225). From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that the adoption of new architectures and city forms should not be based majorly on the decision of the architects. This is because an architect cannot envisage the impact of buildings on humans and therefore should base decisions on other factors; to those who undertake comprehensive standard studies of local building types and how they are used by that society. Environmental psychology has conquered the whole architectural genre that is concerned with vending stores and any other business venues that have the power to stage-manage the mood and behavior of customers for instance stadiums, casinos, malls, and airports. As an environmental psychologist relates with various places and spaces, he or she is able to determine which environmental features fulfill his needs. Environmental psychologists believe that when a place contains elements that meet a person needs it creates the environmental past of a person. Through the nature of experience with a place, a person is then able to define their personal values and feelings about the physical world. Environmental psychologists examine how given indices produce an impact while other factors are controlled. It is impossible to manipulate real-world settings in a laboratory (Canter 123) Works cited Allodi, Mara W. The Meaning of Social Climate of Learning Environments: Some Reasons Why we do Not Care enough about it. Learning Environments Research 13.2 (2010): 89,n/a. ProQuest Education Journals. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Dorman, Jeffrey P., and Barry J. Fraser. "Psychosocial Environment and Affective Outcomes in Technology-Rich Classrooms: Testing a Causal Model." Social Psychology of Education : An International Journal 12.1 (2009): 77,77-99. ProQuest Education Journals. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Fraser, Barry J. Classroom Environment Instruments: Development, Validity and Applications. Learning Environments Research 1.1 (1998): 7,7-34. ProQuest Education Journals. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Good, Marie, and Gerald R. Adams. "Linking Academic Social Environments, Ego-Identity Formation, Ego Virtues, and Academic Success." Adolescence 43.170 (2008): 221,221- 36. ProQuest Education Journals. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Cassidy, Tony. Environmental psychology: behaviour and experience in context. New York, New York: Psychology Press, 1997. Print. Bechtel, Robert B., and Arzahman. Handbook of environmental psychology. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print. Examining the Lived World: The Place of Phenomenology in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology. New York: Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 20110415. Print. Canter David. Environmental Psychology." Professor David Canter - Home.N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. . " PRX » Piece » Environmental Psychology Interview ." Public Radio Exchange .N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. . Read More