A new area developed within the field of psychology at the end of 1950’s and during 1960’s which was termed as Environmental Psychology in the United States New York
Relationship between physical, biological, technological and social behaviour patterns emerged as a challenge and creating an optimal environment for human activities led to further research in the field of environment psychology. Some of the conceptualizations of important theorists need a mention to understand the environment-behaviour dynamics even in Indian social context. The problem’s related to road-rage, problem of stress due to noise pollution, lack of sharing interpersonal problems due to overcrowding, lack of recreational space for children and growing incident’s of juvenile acts are some of the manifestations of environmental aspect of behaviour of Indian context. Man-made noise of modern civilization is creating more and more noise from industry and transport. Mention must be made about ‘stratle reaction’ one of the direct responses to noise. The sudden and high intensity sound produces stratle reaction and has its effects on the nervous system and may effect psycho-motor performance. It is no wonder that our optical system becomes prey to noise pollution. Noise also causes irritation and affect sleep and work performance.
According to Wohlwill and Heft (1987) environmental variable’s affect through a filter or mediator (e.g. cognition, adaptation level). It is also important to understand that physical and social environments are emeded in each-other and environment-behaviour relationship is reciprocal and dynamic.
Brofenbrenner (1979) has considered environment in terms of a nested hierarchy of micro, meso-exo and macro-systemic contexts. These different subsystems influence each other in an interactive fashion. Stokols (1983) has proposed an approach which includes spatial, temporal and sociocultural contexts of the phenomena being studied.
Role of architecture and psychology also gained prominence gradually.
Canter and Lee (1974) attempted to pinpoint the basic information psychology can provide for designing the environment. This was identified in reference to following categories:
(i) People’s activity
What types of activities are carried out, where and how are they carried and how do they change.
(ii) Differentiated Appraisal’s
The behaviour-environment relationship not only to know people’s reaction to architectural variable’s but also to discover the reasons for these relationships in an interactive perspective.
In this context, the contribution of psychology to the process of architectural design is seen as differentiated in relation to the various design stages.
(a) Ideation
When several general findings can be employed originating from psychological research concerning architectural characteristic and behaviors.
(b) Specification
When specific influences can be singled out from physical characteristics of the environment as well as equally specific psychological aspects.
For example relationship between environmental luminosity and insomnia or between environmental noise and work output.
(c) Appraisal
When an analysis is made of the existing, also considering the resulting psychological effects to identity inadequacies or positive directions form improvement.
Behavioral Geography
American geographer wright proposed geosophia as a new field of study for geography. Geographer’s tend to speak of the foundation of a new branch of geographical studies termed “behavioral geography” (Gold, 1980, 1985) or more often perceptional geography (Dowris & Myer, 1978).
Behavioral geographer realizes that man shapes and at the same time responds to the environment and that man and environment are dynamically correlated.
Three primary dimensions of spatial, temporal and environmental perception characterize every human use system.
Spatio physical environment in the tradition of psychology of perception
New look theories in perception. Kaffka made the distinction between geographical environment existing in reality and behavioral environment’s represented by the environment experienced by the person.
Gibson’s ecological theory considered the perceptual phenomenon as a result of ecological characteristics of environment stimuli. Perception is the process by which a particular person from his particular behavior center, attributes significance to his immediate environmental situation (Ittelson).
Kurt Lewin also highlighted that human behavior is a result of interaction between personality and environmental factors.
Set of Affordances
According to Gibson (1982) environment provides opportunities and resources which are functionally relevant. The meaning of functional possibilities of environmental features are very important. The affordance are considered to have relational character.
Even Helft (1988) has described the functional taxonomy of environment is psychologically more relevant than mere description of environmental stimuli.
According to behaviour restraint theory there are certain factors in the environment that restrains our potential functioning. When an individual starts realizing that he/she is loosing control over environmental events they start feeling inhibited in their functioning which is also called psychological rectance. Behaviour restraint theory has three important stages:
(i) loss of perceived control
(ii) psychological rectance
(iii) learned helplessness
Environment stress also emerges due to factors like work pressures, transfer of job from one place to another, metropolitan over crowding creates stressful situations in life. When an individual experiences stress it undergoes three stages as proposed by Selye which is called General Adaptation Syndrome.
(a) Alarm reaction
(b) Stage of resistance and
(c) Stage of exhaustion
Some of the stressors it well adapted it may help in improved performance but when the amount of environmental stressors increases manifold the individual losses ability to cope with this.
Excessive heat conditions may lead to aggressive behavior patterns and excessive cold may lead to depression.
Catacylsmic event’s like flood, earthquake, cyclones, nuclear accident’s and the terrorist activities have far-reaching devastating consequences upon the behavior of individuals. In such type of incident’s individual’s loose their recovery strategy as they have no prior planning to deal with such exigencies. Even conflict prone areas like Jammu Kashmir and North East states people undergo severe psychological frustration due to prolonged strife-situation.
It is also a fact despite stressful situations the response of individual’s vary according to their adaptability skills.
Anxiety, withdrawal symptoms, numbness, depression, stress related psychological disorders, unfocussed anger, regression nightmares are some of the important behavioral deviations that occur due to environmental factors.
Rural-urban changes is changing the complexion of new places but norm’s and values don’t change overnight. Sudden transformation of rural to urban centers create a crisis of adjustment with new set of values superimposed upon them. Hence a new class of alien’s is growing in areas which has seen sudden transformation from rural to urban set ups and this problem can be witnessed in areas of NCR of Delhi and many villages around Delhi
Stokols (1975) advanced a comprehensive developmental theory of alienation with an explanation of its persistence. In the field of psycho-analysis Meissner (1974) interpreted alienation in the conventional terms of his field as an outcome of the devaluation of the father and his social world. The depression, narcissim and aggression which are derivatives of disillusionment, turn into the roots of undesirable development’s of alienation in society.
In last few decades many efforts have been made in the direction of environment protection and sustainable development. Advanced techniques of architecture and well-being measures are being adopted in construction of new buildings. The anthropocentric bias and demands of post-Industrial socio-economic structures increases consumerism and moral considerations are frequently ignored.
Theoretical and practical explorations of this environment-behavior dynamics can analyze specific behavioral impacts of environmental factors and debates in this direction may provide meaningful assumptions to this construct.
No comments:
Post a Comment