Environmental Psychology

Image credit: University of New England, une.edu.au

There are many different types of psychology that can be used to understand the human experience, but one that has a lot of significance is that of environmental psychology. What is this branch of psychology, and what does it mean for psychologists and those studying human behavior?

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What Is Environmental Psychology?

Firstly, let’s pin down what environmental psychology actually is. As the name implies, it looks at the impact the environment has on the person in it.

This includes both the natural environment, as well as built environments. This branch of psychology looks at how the environment impacts us, and how we can use that knowledge to our advantage.

How Environmental Psychology Came About

The history of environment psychology goes back a long way, perhaps all the way back to the 1200’s. This was when Marco Polo was traveling, and saw that people in different kingdoms were apt to behave in very different ways.

This was picked up by Darwin, who pointed out how the environment around us helped shape the way we evolved. In the Victorian era, there was an extreme version of environmental psychology called ‘environmental determinism’, where it was argued that environment and climate influenced racial characteristics.

In the modern era, environmental psychology has been used since the end of the Second World War, to look at how our man made environments affect us, and what can be done to improve them.

Key Topics In Environmental Psychology

With this in mind, what are some of the most common topics considered within this field? You’ll find that there are several topics that look to improve mental health through environment in one way or another.

For example, it can be used to study the effect of environmental stressors, such as noise or overcrowding. When data can be collected about how these issues impact people, then solutions for them can be brainstormed and carried out.

You’ll also see studies into the effect of nature on people’s psychological well being. Studies have already shown that spending time in nature can help improve well being, sleep, and stress levels.

The idea of personal space is an important one within environmental psychology too. This includes the idea of privacy, personal spaces, ownership of spaces, and more.

These are just a few of the key topics in the field, but you can see how they’re used to understand the world around us and make it better.

The Importance Of Environmental Psychology

With all this in mind, you can see that environmental psychology is so important when it comes to every day life. While it’s still a fairly new established field, it already has a deep impact on the world.

For example, you’ll see that environmental psychology is taken into consideration when planning new buildings, cities, landscapes, and more.

Studying people in the field will show how they interact with their environment, and how it affects them. With that data, changes can be made to improve their lives, both individually and on a global scale.

Theories And Models Of Environmental Psychology

There are lots of different theories and models that go into environmental psychology. Here are some of the most important ones that affect how studies are done:

Theory Of Planned Behavior: The Theory of Planned Behavior, or TPB, is the idea that people choose the options that give them the highest benefits with the lowest costs, and the behavior we engage in is a direct result of these intentions.

These intentions are influenced by our own attitudes, social norms, and how much we can control our own behavior. TPB has already helped explain a lot of environmental phenomenons, such as household recycling, modes of travel, composting, and much more.

Value-Belief-Norm Theory: The Value-Belief-Norm theory, known as VBN, asserts that people will act in a way that’s beneficial to their environment, when they believe it’s a moral obligation to do so. This can be due to intrinsic beliefs, or external sources.

There are six ‘continual elements’ that contribute to this theory:

• Attention
• Perception and cognitive maps
• Ideal environments
• Environmental stress
• Involvement
• Protective behavior

Norm-Activation Model: Known as NAM, this model is quite similar to the VBN theory. Here, it’s asserted that ones own personal norms are going to be more important than societal norms, when it comes to how we choose to behave. This in turn affects the environment around us.

Recent Research Into Environmental Psychology

There have been real strides in recent years in the study of environmental psychology, and how that can be used to improve the environment around us.

In recent studies from 2017 and 2018, we have some key findings that are important for future environmental planning. These include:

Thoughts and environments: The way we think about environments plays a large part in how we feel about them. Not only that, it also affects how we think about simply the idea of visiting them. Because of this, we know that the cognitive experience of being outdoors is a large part of what delivers the benefits of being outdoors.

The benefits of botanical gardens: This study found that botanical gardens have a particularly good effect on people’s mental health and well being, as well as their physical health. Interestingly, they have more impact on single people than couples or families who visit.

Active engagement: A 2018 study looked at active engagement in the environment, and saw that it can improve a person’s sustained attention. However, there isn’t enough evidence to see if it can influence affective restoration.

These are just a few recent studies into environmental psychology and how it affects people all over the world. There’s still a lot to learn, but researchers all over the world are trying new theories all the time.

Environmental Psychology In Practice

So far we’ve covered a lot of the theory of environmental psychology, and how it can be used in every day situations. How is it being used in every day life, though?

There are lots of ways that the findings from these studies are being applied. For example, if you know what would motivate people to change their behavior, then that can be used to change environments and make them better.

You can see this in the work of many different psychologists. Dr. Arline Bronzafthas been using the field of study to teach school students about noise in their neighborhoods, and how it affects the people who live there. As such, they are armed with the knowledge to make their own environments better.

There’s also the use of environmental psychology to improve architecture and design. With the knowledge we have from the studies that have been done, we can make buildings that are much better suited to our needs. That includes adding more plants and flowers, and creating opportunities to actively engage with the environment around us.

There are so many ways that environmental psychology can help improve the world around us. While the field of environmental psychology is still fairly new, it’s already told us a lot about the world. With the studies into how environments affect us and what can benefit us, we can create spaces that are much better for everyone that uses them.

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