Psychology is “the scientific study of human and animal behavior
and mental processes. Behavior refers
here to easily observable activities such as walking, talking, or smiling”
("Psychology," 2008). Environment
is defined in Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary as “the circumstances,
objects, or conditions, by which one is surrounded” ("Environment,"
2012). My understanding of psychology
and the environment would lead me to define environmental psychology as the
scientific study of how an individual’s surroundings influence their behavior
and mental processes. Environmental psychology is a relatively new scientific
study although the field of psychology has been in existence for quite some
time.
The field of environmental psychology seeks to study the
relationship between an individual and their environment and how it affects
behavior by identifying environmentally related problems. Environmental issues such as pollution have a
direct effect on the human population because of the health problems that could
be contributed to air and water pollution, however a very important influence
in environmental psychology is the exploration of how physical space influences
how an individual feel, think and interact with their surroundings. I chose
physical space because in the beginning of the development of environmental
psychology the focus was on “the built physical environment (i.e. architecture,
technology, and engineering) and how it affected human behaviour and
well-being” (Steg, 2013). I personally believe that physical space is
very important for an individual because it allows them the room to be and feel
the way they want. I completely
understand why physical environment became an important influence because
during the time when environmental psychology was developing “modern
architecture tried to address the post-war challenges of providing decent
housing and facilities for the general public” (Steg, 2013), however many
things had to be taken into account that were considered environmental
stressors such as “extreme temperatures, humidity, and crowding” and how those
factors would affect human behavior in certain situations.
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