environmental psychology -unit 1

Unit 1 - Emergence of environmental psychology and its growth

Environmental psychology

Mrs.D.Sudar Oli M.sc., DAT.,(Ph.D)

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology

Unit 1 (contents )

Emergence of environmental psychology and its growth:

Definition and scope.
Human environment relationship:
different worldviews to understand human- environment relationship,
Salient features of environmental psychology,
Recent trends and future
directions in environmental psychology,
Indian views on human-environment relationship.

INTRODUCTION :

Psychology, as an academic field, has shown tremendous advancement since its inception.
The subject of Psychology has many applied branches, some even touching upon various other
disciplines like Sociology, Organizations, Biology, and so on. While the various fields of psychology
were developing during a period of five decades, the physical settings of the environment were
initially overlooked . As the awareness grew around the dimensions of the physical space, it became
apparent how deeply it impacts a person’s behaviour. In this introductory Unit, we will introduce you
to the branch of environmental psychology, followed by its salient features, recent trends and scope.
A description of main research methods used in environmental psychology will be presented. The
Unit ends with status of environmental psychology in India.

In the present decade, when the environment is a concern for the human race, studying of
environmental psychology is very relevant. The environment includes the surroundings or conditions
in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. It is the natural world as a whole, or in
particular geographical areas, as affected by human activity. The environment provides ideas,
meanings, and affects behaviour just as the social settings, or age, or the developmental stage (Bell,
Greeve, Fisher, and Baum, 2001).

Proshansky (1976) says that the person’s physical world in the form of rooms, buildings,
study halls, streets, schoolrooms, bedrooms, hospital wards, day-care centres, subway trains,
apartment houses, etc., influence their behaviour too. Environmental psychology, thus, is one of the
important branches of psychology that has brought a new perspective to study and understand the
complexities of human behaviour and social-physical environments.

Environmental Psychology deals with the environment at two different levels. It is concerned
with the environment as well as the context of behaviour. At one level, environmental psychology
studies how the environment determines which behaviour is possible and how it is possible. It is
concerned with the properties of environment which act as determinants that affect human
behaviour and mood. At the next level, environmental psychology is concerned with the
consequences of behaviour on the environment or broadly with environmental problems such as
pollution, recycling, and ecosystem issues. This is a very different focus, though it follows from a

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basic premise that behaviour and environment mutually affect each other. Environmental
psychologists encompass both how the environment influences people and how people influence
the environment. Thus, it is an interactive discipline (Bell, Greeve, Fisher, and Baum, 2001).

Moving further, environmental psychology is the study of people’s complicated interactions

with their surroundings. It differs from other major areas of psychology in that it is focused on the
everyday physical environment.According to Gifford,larger environmental factors, such as social,
political, economic, and cultural pressures, are also included in this field. Environmental psychology’s
biggest strength is its multidisciplinary approach and recognition of the interconnected nature of
behaviour and environment. Environmental psychology does not simplify things in an artificial way.
Instead, it offers a framework of perspectives, research, and theories to aid in our understanding of
how humans and the environment interact. Though there are no black-and-white answers, we may
use bits and pieces from the body of work to better design the physical space for human needs. “The
fundamental significance of environmental psychology for the design professions lies in its potential
capacity to provide a body of knowledge—conceptual and empirical—for understanding the
relationships between human behaviour and experience in the built environment,”Proshansky in his
paper, The Role of Environmental Psychology for the Design Professions.

In the process of finding possible solutions for environmental problems, psychologists are
using a practical approach by gaining information about the relationships between conceptual
models of human behaviour. Environmental psychology is not only practically oriented but also
incorporates the theoretical approach of traditional psychology. Environmental psychology is thus an
applied field that involves research to improve our environmentalresource management.

DEFINITION AND SCOPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY :

Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the transactions between

individuals and their surroundings . It examines how the natural environment or built environment
shapes the individual. Environmental psychologist emphasizes on an individual’s transactions with
their environment. They examine the human transactions in work space, home, natural environment,
and how these are related to one’s satisfaction, subjective well-being, productivity and mental
health. The term “environment” is defined extensively in this discipline, and it includes natural
surroundings, social settings, physical environments, learning environments, and informational
environments. The area has been dedicated to the establishment of a discipline that is both value
and problem-oriented since its inception, prioritizing research aimed at solving complex
environmental problems in the pursuit of individual well-being.

Early definitions of environmental psychology emphasized the relationship between the physical
environment and human behaviour. H.M. Proshansky (1967 b) defined environmental psychology as
‘the attempt to establish empirical and theoretical relationships between behaviour and experiences
of a person and his built environment.’According to Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, environmental
psychology deals with people’s homes, the workplaces and leisure settings, the visual impact of
buildings, the negative effects of cities, the restorative role of nature, and environmental attitudes
and sustainable behaviour.Russel and Snodgrass (1987) defined the field as the branch of psychology
that is concerned with providing a systematic account of the relationship between humans and their
environment.In the handbook of environmental psychology, Stokols and Altman (1987) defined it as
the study of human behaviour and well-being in relation to the socio-physical environment.

These definitions often point to the relationship between the environment and behaviour but do not
really emphasize the bi-directional nature of the environmentbehaviour relationships since the

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environment affects the behaviour and behaviour also affects the environment. Also, these
definitions arenot able to describe the nonbuilt environment and its impact on the relationship
between behaviour and the environment as a whole.

Recent definitions adopt more inclusive, holistic, and transactional approach on humanenvironment
relationship. Gifford defines environmental psychology as “a study of transactions between
individuals and their physical settings in these transactions individuals change their environment, and
their behaviours and experiences are changed by their environments” (Gifford et. al, 2010).
According to him, environmental psychologists work at three levels of analysis:

a) Fundamental psychological processes like the perception of the environment, spatial

cognition, and its effects on our personality.

b) The management of social space: personal space, territoriality, crowding, privacy, and the
physical settings, aspect of complex everyday behaviours such as working, learning, living in
a residency, and community.

c) Human interactions with nature and role of psychology in climate change

(Gifford et. al, 2010)

ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ALSO INCLUDES:

 Environmental behaviour: When people make a conscious effort to minimise adverse

impacts on the natural environment.
 Place attachment: The emotional bond that exists between a person and place.
 Health psychology: Focuses on how biology, psychology, behaviour, and social
factors influence public health and illness.
 Pro-environmental behaviour: Human actions that aim to safeguard the environment.
 Architectural psychology: Considers the influence of the designed environment on
human experience and behaviour.

SALENT FEATURES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY :

Environmental psychology studies the interactions between people and the physical environment as
well as the built environment. Environmental psychologists rather than defining discipline have been
in charge of describing some of its main features:

1. A holistic molar perspective: The researcher examines behaviour in its context or

surroundings and tries to delve into complex psychological processes and environmental
factors.

2. An applied problem-solving perspective: here the research is designed to discuss the basic
principles of behaviour and find solutions to social problems involving a physical
environment.

3. A broad and eclectic methodology: environmental psychology uses laboratory experiments,

field experiments, surveys research, observations, on diverse environments, and diverse
methodology to study problems.

4. A wide range of levels of analysis: It employs micro and macro-level approaches to study
human problems concerning everyday life problems. It applies a 360-degree approach.

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5. Environmental psychology is a multi-disciplinary subject that has adapted theoretical ideas

not only from core psychology but also other social sciences in developing its theories.

Bell et. al has precisely stated that “environmental psychology is characterized by the following:

Study of the environment- behaviour, relationships as a unit Study of interrelationships of

environment and behaviour.

A relative lack of distinction between applied and theoretical research.

An interdisciplinary and international appeal.

An eclectic methodology (a rich mixture of methods).

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

The four key features that characterize the field of environmental psychology are briefly described
below (Steg and Groot, 2019):

• Interactive Approach Environmental psychology is mainly interested in the interactions

between people and their built and natural environment, it also takes into account the way
the environment influences behaviour as well as which factors have an impact on human
behaviour that can be helpful in improving the quality of the environment.

Interdisciplinary Approach Environmental psychologists often work in interdisciplinary

settings and collaborate with other experts from other disciplines as this can help them in
having a more holistic approach. Each and every discipline brings in a different point of view
to the given

• phenomenon, when all perspectives are integrated, it helps in providing a comprehensive

scenario to solve the problem at hand and answer questions accordingly.

Environmental psychologists often work with architects, geography experts, cognitive

psychologists, and social psychologists.

• Problem-focused Approach Environmental psychology intends to solve reallife problems and

often carries out studies in a manner that can be helpful in solving a problem but it also
works relentlessly to study the various phenomenon, test theories, and understand and
explain various aspects of human behaviour in the context of their environment and their
interaction with the environment. The approach can be centered on the immediate
surrounding of an individual and can be extended to a global level as well to deal with issues
like global warming, climate change, ecological restoration, etc.

• Diversity of Methods Approach Environmental psychology also utilizes qualitative and

quantitative research methodologies as used in other disciplines of psychology. The
distinctive feature of this field, in particular, is the way it uses various methods that are very
diverse in nature and work through the problem or research work. The optimal method is
often chosen by weighing the strengths and weaknesses of a particular type of method and
then taking internal and external validity into consideration.

THE EMERGENCE AND GROWTH OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY:

Environmental psychology is a relatively new field of psychology. Since the 1960s,
four stages of its emergence have been established, in general—Seeds of Environmental
Psychology; American transition; Architectural Psychology; andEnvironmental
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Psychologyfor its sustainability (Tiwari & Mathur, 2014). The origins of this field of
psychology can be traced back to the German authors who put forth the word and spoke
about this discipline of psychology. The American transition was a phase of time during
which environmental psychology was seldom mentioned but its theoretical foundations were
laid. Then it was the time of Architectural Psychology which later paved the way for
environmental psychology focused upon sustainability.
The origin of environmental psychology can be traced back to Hellpach, one of the
first scholars who introduced the term “environmental psychology” in the first half of the
20th century. He studied the effects of various stimuli such as colours, forms, etc. Hellpach
(1911) studied how different environmental stimuli, such as form and colour, the moon and
sun, and extreme conditions impact humans and their lives. Further, he went on to study the
urban phenomenon, such as overstimulation, crowding, and differentiating between different
types of environments in his work and studies, including natural, social, and historical-
cultural environments (Pol, 2006). Researches in environmental psychology were first
outlined by Craik (1968) based on the dominant strategy of personality measurement. In this
era, the work of Proshansky was significant. The growth of environmental psychology, as
well as its current approach, is documented in a series of reviews published in the Annual
Reviews of Psychology (Sundstrom et. al, 1996).
When people became more aware of environmental problems in the late 1960s, the
second period of rapid expansion in environmental psychology began. As a result, studies on
sustainability issues, i.e., studies on explaining and modifying environmental behaviour to
produce a healthy and sustainable environment, have been conducted. The early research in
this field concentrated on air pollution (De Groot 1967; Lindvall 1970), urban noise (Griffiths
and Langdon 1968), and environmental quality assessment (Griffiths and Langdon 1968).
(Appleyard and Craik 1974; Craik and Mckechnie 1974). From the 1970s onwards, the scope
of the research expanded to include concerns such as energy supply and demand (Zube et al.
1975), as well as risk perceptions and risk assessment in relation to (energy) technology
(Fischhoff et al. 1978). The earliest studies on efforts to promote conservation behaviour,
such as links between consumer attitudes and behaviour, were undertaken in the 1980s (Cone and
Hayes 1980; Stern and Gardner 1981).

Next came Gestalt’s contribution, it was Koffka who differentiated between geographical and
behavioural environments. The geographical environment refers to the perceived environment. This
school mainly emphasized upon environmental perception and cognition. Brunswick and Lewin’s
study on human and natural environment interactions are trendsetters for future research and are
also regarded to be the ‘founding fathers’ of environmental psychology (Gifford, 2007). Even though
both of them havenot done significant empirical work that could be classified today as environmental
psychology but, their ideas, such as the interaction between the physical environment and
psychological processes and studying the human behaviours in the actual settings rather than
artificial settings were pioneering and influential for many future studies that studied the interactions
between humans and environment.

Park, Wirth, and Milgram studied the influence of physical environment on behaviours and it was
labelled as ‘Architectural Psychology.’The constructed physical environment (architecture,
technology, and engineering) and how it affected human behaviour and well-being were given a lot
of attention in the early days of environmental psychology
(Bonnes and Bonaiuto, 2002). The political and social circumstances of the time influenced this
attention on the built environment. The modern design attempted to answer post-war concerns such
as adequate housing (Pol 2006). Most of the environmental psychological research looked at how to
best design homes, offices, and hospitals for their intended users, as well as how environmental

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stresses (such as excessive temperatures, humidity, and crowding) affect human performance and
wellbeing (Wohlwill 1970). Environmental psychology was established as a field of research to create
structures that would promote behavioural functions.

The post-world war scenario emphasized the fact to build better homes, workplaces, schools,
hospitals, etc. It also was a period that attempted to reduce environmental stressors and optimize
performance and well-being. This period from the end of World War II to the early 1960s belonged to
Chicago school whose works were more towards the amalgamation of experimental and academic
American tradition. In the 1970s, environmental psychology was concerned with establishing
empirical and theoretical relationships between the behaviour and experience of the individual and
his built environment. The analysis was for understanding human behaviour and experiences in
terms of social processes and social organizations concerning the physical settings that provide the
context for such behaviour and experiences. (Proshansky, 1976)

By the 21st century, environmental psychology became concerned with addressing human problems,
environmental psychology became more enriched, it included holistic sustainability, and also
included ecological studies. Three journals disseminating knowledge in the field of environmental
psychology are:

1. Journal of Environmental Psychology which represents the psychological perspective of

research.

2. Environment andBehaviour which is an interdisciplinary journal.

3. Journal of Architectural and Planning research emphasizes architectural designing and its
related fields.

The Handbook of Environmental Psychology was published under the editorship of Daniel Stokols
and Irwin Altman. This is one of the pioneers and significant books on environmentalpsychology
(1987). The Handbook of Environmental Psychology presents a balanced and complete introduction
of this rapidly growing topic, including the latest research and concepts in the field straight from the
world’s best scientists and practitioners. This revolutionary resource presents you with a pluralistic
perspective to the area as an interdisciplinary effort with ties to other disciplines, bringing together
contributions from an international team of leading academics representing a variety of fields. The
Handbook of Environmental Psychology is structured into five organized and accessible parts to
provide a full understanding of the ideas, research, and applications at the forefront of
environmental psychology today. It addresses a variety of themes and practical contexts. Part I
concentrates on refining ideas, while Part II connects the subject to other disciplines, Part III on
methodologies, Part IV on applications, and Part V on the field’s future. The Handbook of
Environmental Psychology is a must-read for anybody dealing directly with the attitudes, beliefs, and
actions that are ruining our environment and putting our lives in peril. It defines the ongoing
revolution in thinking about how the environment and psychology interact.

Human environment relationship:

Human environmental interactions are the interrelations and complex dynamics that exist
between human beings and the natural environment. Driven by various political, social, and cultural
processes, human activities such as landscape fragmentation strongly modify natural environments
in order to fit societal needs with mountains, fragile and marginal areas being particularly affected.
This development endangers ecosystems existentially and directly impacts human well-being. At the
same time, these changes can lead to conflicts between different interest groups. It is the objective

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of this trans-disciplinary research group to study and devise sustainable and implementable solutions
for viable interaction between human and environment.

Two critical areas where most human-environment interactions happen.

 The Human Social Systems

Human environmental interaction happens everywhere that the human social system
comes in contact with the environment. And for modern human society, that directly
and indirectly happens in everything we do and use.
A key part of how much impact a human social system has on nature comes down to a
few key elements:

 Population size
 Technological advances
 Wealth
 Education
 Societal values

 The Environment and Ecosystems

All humans interact with ecosystems in order to create some sort of ecosystem service
that provides benefits to society. Unfortunately, for modern humans in Western
societies, that environmental ecosystem relationship has become a parasitic one-way
service.

Society has come to a stage where it greatly exploits the environment for economic
and agricultural purposes, with limited regard for preservation or rejuvenation.

Worldviews to understand Human Environment Relationship

What Are The 3 Types of Human Environment Interaction?

1. Dependence on The Environment

Every single living thing on this planet is dependent on the natural environment it
lives in. Whether it’s for air, water, food, or shelter, living beings simply cannot survive
without some form of interaction.
Eg: Water Usage, Deforestation, Collecting Natural Resources

2. Modification of The Environment

Human activities frequently result in environmental change, both with negative and
positive results. Human beings use increasing amounts of land to build homes, shopping
centres, and schools. When it gets cold, we burn coal, wood, and oil that we all collect from
our environment.
Eg: Building Homes, Shopping Centres
Waste Production

3. Adaptation to The Environment

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The more successful species are able to adapt to changes in their environment, the
more likely they are to survive.
For example, when you find people living above the arctic circle, in dense jungles, and dry
savannahs, you’ll get the idea of how much we have adapted to our natural environment.
Eg: Protection of National Parks, Urban Green Projects

 Negative Human Environment Interaction

1. Deforestation (Dependence, Modification)

This is possibly one of the most concerning human-environment interactions right

now. The planet is losing millions of acres of forests every year to make space for
more agricultural land.
The problem isn’t just the loss of CO2 processing but natural habitats for some of the
rarest animals are gone too.
The loss of biodiversity will also directly impact people as it will affect what kind of
food we can grow and where we can grow them. And that is coming back to impact
economic and agricultural purposes by limiting food production.

2. Water Usage (Dependence)

This is one of the most important natural resources that people in Western countries
take for granted.

Take this, for example: You turn on your faucet, and clean water pours out.

But that water has to come from somewhere, which usually means tapping into rivers,
lakes, and underground aquifers.

3. Energy and Natural Resources (Dependence, Modification)

Fire was possibly one of the most fundamental advances in early human evolution,
and energy for heat is still one of the main ways human beings exploit nature.

But human beings also need energy for transportation and communication systems,
which is one of the main reasons why carbon emissions have skyrocketed in the last
100 years.

4. Oil and Gas (Dependence, Modification)

Out of all the resources that we extract from our planet, the most disruptive ones are
oil and gas.

Every single part of the oil and gas production process causes damage to the
environment in more ways than just climate change. And it’s the critical human-
environmental interaction to gain control of.

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5. Natural Mineral Resources (Dependence, Modification)

The natural resources that humans extract include everything from timber to coal, as
well as oil, gold, and rare earth metals.

Most people just think of deep holes in the ground for mining shafts, but a lot of
mineral extraction methods strip away millions of acres of land to get to the resources,
making it a devastating human-environmental interaction.

6. Waste Production (Modification)

This is the cruelest human-environmental interaction. Seeing animals suffering from

the plastic waste that litters our oceans and landscapes is sometimes too much to take.

While recycling efforts have stepped up considerably, this is possibly one area where
our actions end up doing harm hundreds of miles away.

It’s almost like there is a total emotional disconnect because trucks collect the trash,
and then people don’t worry about it anymore.

7. Airborne Pollution (Modification)

People often just focus on CO2 when it comes to air pollution, but there is a lot more
to factories, cars, and households.

Most western countries have banned certain toxins, for example, and factories and
vehicles have filters to remove them. However, the filters only go so far, and some
toxins will always seep into the air as part of human-environment interaction.

8. Ocean, Lake, And River Traffic (Adaptation, Modification)

Traffic on all the planet’s waterways has never been busier, and human-environmental
impacts cause the most damage to marine animals.

For example, some large fish and mammals get struck by boats. Others, on the other
hand, can suffer severe disorientation from the engine and propeller noise.

9. Tourism (Adaptation, Modification)

One issue with tourism is the carbon cost of getting to vacation destinations because
flying has become the preferred travel method.

But the destinations that people travel to also impact natural habitats, with many
resorts taking over nature. You have natural environments that are not capable of
handling thousands of tourists, and human environment interaction has forced them to
deal with it.

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10. Urban Expansion (Adaptation, Modification)

Increasing land-use levels around many of the world’s largest cities reduce the amount
of space available for plants and animals.

And with growing cities come ever-increasing pollution problems, as well as drains
on available water resources. While some cities around the world are taking human
environment interaction seriously by implementing smart planning to bring nature
into the cities, this isn’t happening at a remotely large enough scale.

 Positive Human Environment Interaction

1. Renewable Energy (Dependence)

Solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources are fast-growing industries, and more
people are shifting the way they approach their energy use at home and on the road.
But a lot more has to happen fast for renewable energy use to outgrow traditional
fossil fuel options. The simplest way that people can have a positive human-
environmental interaction is by switching to a renewable energy provider for their
home electricity.

2. Urban Green Projects (Adaptation)

Many urban planners around the world have started encouraging a greener approach
to city life.
This doesn’t just involve planning more public parks, but wasteland and rooftops are
transforming into new urban gardens.

It’s an area where communities and neighbourhoods can come together to create a
positive human environment interaction with group schemes for planting flowers,
fruit, and vegetables.

3. Eco-Tourism (Adaptation)

This is possibly one of the fastest-growing tourism niches, and it involves more than
just buying some carbon credits for getting on a plane.
For example, many countries are now offering ways for tourists to directly reduce
their overall impact on the physical environment by contributing to preservation and
reforestation projects.

4. Protection of National Parks (Adaptation)

The USA has a fantastic network of vast national parks. And while government
agencies do a great job of protecting these parks, this isn’t always the case in other
countries.

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And I think that rich industrialized countries have a responsibility to help achieve the
same in developing countries and build that kind of fabric into other human social
systems.

5. Waste Reuse and Recycling (Modification)

Landfill sites worldwide are struggling to keep up with the supply of waste, and the
people in charge should take a careful look at how countries like Sweden are handling
their waste.
With a proper support network to reuse as much as possible and make recycling easy,
it’s entirely possible to get to a stage where minimal amounts of waste end up in
landfills.

6 - Composting (Adaptation)

With 30% of all food waste ending up in the trash, there should be no reason why we
cannot effectively deal with it at home or through a managed collection service.
You can even buy indoor composters that don’t let off any smell making them suitable
for apartment living. And if you have a garden, then there’s no reason not to have a
compost bin to deal with your food waste.

7 - Water Management (Adaptation)

Human beings simply cannot survive without water, and with better management of
water supplies and making more use of rainwater harvesting systems, all of us can
reduce our demand for natural water supplies.
It’s a simple thing to do on a small scale to collect rainwater for your gardening needs.
And with a relatively small investment, you can also use rainwater for flushing your
toilets.
RECENT TRENDS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY:

Environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and deforestation have been
recognized as serious difficulties impacting people’s health, economic prospects, and food and water
supplies since the beginning of the twenty-first century (IPCC 2013). It is also widely acknowledged
that human behaviour is a major contributor to these environmental issues. Finding strategies to
influence people’s behaviour to reverse environmental problems while preserving human well-being
and quality of life is an ongoing and developing concern of environmental psychology. To this goal, a
comprehensive concept of sustainability has been widely adopted, which incorporates
environmental, social, and economic factors (World Commission on Environment and Development
1987). This broad concept of sustainability has grown in importance as a guiding and unifying
element for environmental psychology research (Giuliani and Scopelliti, 2009). Indeed, it has been
suggested that, over the past decades, the field of environmental psychology has gradually evolved
into a ‘psychology of sustainability’ (Gifford 2007).

Environment influences human behaviour and well-being. Environmental psychology thus

studies the environmental risk perceptions and environmental stress. It also studies the positive
influence of the natural environment on humans. Researches have been in this field to create a
sustainable environment that supports human well-being and increases the quality of life.

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Environmental psychology also studied factors influencing environmental behaviour like

values, social norms, affect, and conflicts between individual and collective interests. An integrative
and multi-disciplinary approach is undertaken by environmental psychologists. The best example to
depict this is the Chipko movement. A social event happened in the western Himalayan region in the
1970s, when a small-scale social invention (the Chipko movement) to rescue the forests spread far
and wide. This is regarded as a significant rethinking of the significance of man’s relationship with
nature. ‘Grassroots activists like those seen in India’s Chipko Movement have suggested a new
alternative ecological approach in which insight into ecosystem interrelationships is gained through
folk knowledge rather than scientific observation,’ argues Hannigan, a social scientist (Hannigan
1995: 119). Although Chipko’s success story has many social dimensions and interpretations, its
articulation as a native cognitive model is an insider’s socio-cultural fabrication of the wisdom of
those involved in the movement (Pirta, 2007). They emulated Gandhi’s nonviolent protest, drew on
Hindu wisdom, made naturalistic observations, and synthesized data from a variety of sources.
However, the leadership and organization of these community natural resource management
initiatives are crucial for their success (Kellert et al. 2000).

The other topics of research by environmental psychologists include encouraging

proenvironmental behaviour concerning informational strategies, reinforcements, punishments, and
persuasive technology and strategies for behaviour change. It also tried to develop various models
that integrate interactions between man and environment. The future directions include challenges
for environmental psychologists towards a greater engagement that are studied embracing
sustainability as a central focus of research delivering many valuable insights and tools for promoting
sustainability at local and global levels.

Environmental psychologists are struggling to save the planet from environmental and social
degradation and increase the well-being of the inhabitants. The further action of environmental
psychologists is to increase the political relevance and applicability of their work. Finally, the initiative
should be taken at the interface of science, politics, and society such as the establishment of
international forums and bringing together knowledge and behavioural determinants of global
environmental problems (Ehrlich and Kennedy, 2005) Such initiatives can take a significant role in
engaging citizens, policymakers, globally to explore the moral elements and the consequences of
choices about environmental psychologists can engage and contribute to interdisciplinary and trans-
governmental solutions that make a difference from present to future generations.

Environmental psychologists thus, should explore studying and researching on communities

that are residing in areas that are tremendously growing and dislocated by the government for
various projects and industrial developments
directions in environmental psychology:

Let us explore the relationship of environmental psychology with other disciplines.

1. Environmental Psychology and General Psychology

Environmental Psychology stresses upon the studies related to the influence of physical
environmental factors like noise, crowding, heat, etc., on human behaviour, health, and
feelings.General psychology is a much broader branch of psychology that intends to explore various
principles that can be generally applied to humans that is strikingly different from the other
specialized sub-fields of psychology who are more into finding the way in which people differ on the
grounds of various factors.

2. Environmental Psychology and Biological Sciences

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The Research Commission of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) submitted a proposal to the
National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1956 to hold a conference on the relationship between the
physical, biological, and social sciences with regard to the problems of creating optimal environments
for human activities. The conference was held in 1959 at the University of Michigan, and the main
topic was the relationship between the physical, biological, and social sciences with regard to the
problems of creating optimal environments for human activities. Prior to this, a preliminary seminar
on the topic was held at the AIA convention in Cleveland in 1958, with architects, civil engineers,
urban planners, psychologists, and sociologists among the attendees. The sciences of the physical,
geographical environment and those of the ecological naturalistic environment, both of which
showed a growing “human” or “anthropic” factor by the end of the 1960s, are examples of
disciplines outside of psychology that contributed significantly to the emergence of environmental
psychology. Each person’s perceptions are distinct, personal, and unique. Perception is the process
through which a person assigns significance to their current external situation based on
theirbehavioural centre.

As a result, there is a strong link between environmental psychology and other sciences in many
ways. It is easy to notice in one’s daily life.

1.Environmental Psychology and Human Engineering

Human engineering is a multidisciplinary field that includes contributions from psychology,

engineering, industrial design, and anthropometry, among others. It is concerned with the
characteristics of human capability. In human engineering, the human factor is a physical
attribute of an individual that is unique to that individual and determines human environment
equilibriums. Human factors encompass all aspects of how humans interact with the world
around them with the goal of enhancing operational performance, safety, and other issues.
Human engineering contributes to improving the environment for humans in one way. As a
result, it helps with the workings of environmental psychology.

2.Environmental Psychology and Applied Psychology

Applied Environmental psychology attempts to improve environmental management for a higher

quality of life and psychological development. It researches effective ways to protect the natural
environment, better ways to develop towns and communities, and strategies to raise
environmental consciousness among the general public.In town planning, psychology has a lot
of applications. While planning the growth of towns, studies on how communities work,
people’s psychological requirements, and their likes and dislikes should be taken into account.
Since the environment moulds and limits behaviour, careful planning is required to achieve
optimal happiness, efficiency, and growth.

3.Environmental Psychology and Community Psychology

The influence of the social environment is the emphasis of community psychology, whereas the
influence of the physical environment is the subject of environmental psychology. The study of
social processes in physical contexts, as well as the psychology of social settings such as the
home, workplace, and school, falls under the umbrella of community and environmental
psychology. Bronfenbrenner’s (1989) ecological approach to human development has
contributed to a better understanding of how the qualities of one type of environment, such as a
family, are influenced by other aspects in participants’ life, such as occupational and educational
settings.

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4.Environmental Psychology and Architectural Psychology

In many ways, there is a link between environmental psychology and architectural psychology.
The study by Ittelson and Proshansky’s group in the United States looked at the link between
architectural design and the behaviour of psychiatric patients. At the same time, other
psychologists and psychiatrists in the United States and other nations were working on
comparable research projects. Aside from that, Sommer created the notions of human
“territoriality” and “personal space,” which would go on to have a huge impact on psychology in
general, environmental psychology in particular, and architectural design.

The constructed physical environment (architecture, technology, and engineering) and how it
affected human behaviour and well-being were given a lot of attention in the early days of
environmental psychology (Bonnes and Bonaiuto 2002). The political and social circumstances of the
time influenced this attention on the built environment. Modern design attempted to answer to
post-war concerns such as adequate housing (Pol 2006). Many environmental psychological research
looked at how to best design homes, offices, and hospitals for their intended users, as well as how
environmental stresses (such as excessive temperatures, humidity, and crowding) affect human
performance and wellbeing (Wohlwill 1970). Environmental psychology was established as a field of
research to create structures that would promote behavioural functions.
ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE INDIAN CONTEXT :
Flora’s magic of colour and camouflage is appreciated by everyone. The creepers and plants
convert the concrete structures’ dismal silence into scenes of beautiful feasts. Landscaping provides
a welcome respite from congested streets. The diversity of flowers that are blooming all around are
just breath-taking. Flowers are popularly used to decorate people’s bodies, buildings, and backyards.
People are awestruck by a lush green forest teeming with animal life. It awakens people to the
wonder of creation. Environmental psychology is concerned with the interaction of persons with
their surroundings. It’s gaining traction as the human footprint on the natural world grows larger. The
repercussions of human footprints make us aware of our obligation to nature. However, humanity
has a long history of environmental concern, which is a component of our religious heritage. This
worry has been expressed in modern science, particularly in the field of ecology. In fact, ecological
psychology has a longer history than the global term ‘environmental psychology’. Environmental
assessment, environmental perception, cognitive representation of the large-scale environment,
personality and the environment, environmental decision making, public attitudes toward the
environment, sensory environment quality, ecological psychology, and the analysis of behaviour
setting, human spatial behaviour, behavioural effects of density, etc., were all covered in the first
review of environmental psychology (Craik 1973). The word “environmental psychology” was useful
as an inclusive and theoretically neutral term at the time, according to the reviewer. A specialized
branch of psychology, such as ecological psychology (Barker 1965), is likely to be researched by a
group of researchers within this large field. Ittelson et al. (1974), in a seminal paper, defined
environmental psychology as the dynamic interaction between man and his surroundings(Indigenous
approach to environmental psychology, Pirta, 2011).

Environmental psychology studies the effects of the environment on behaviour, as well as the
consequences of behaviour on the environment. Environmental psychologists typically take a
multidisciplinary approach to their work. However, the solution is dependent on the problem. For
example, the Gestalt technique is more suited to researching environmental perception(Ittelson et al.
1974). Conservation psychologists working in the field of biodiversity preservation, on the other
hand, must collaborate with scientists. On the other hand, the global and local challenges of
sustainable water and other natural resources necessitate historical, social, political, and ecological

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understanding, as well as good science and cooperative entrepreneurship (Ostrum 1999; Rogers
2008).

Environmental psychology studies in India started approximately three and a half decades
ago treating the environment as a separate entity and exploring the unidirectional relationship
between the physical environment and behavioural outcome, social outcomes, psychologists
adopted a social system perspective to analyze social problems and environmental issues
(Padaki&Vyasulu, 1981).

This perspective equated social problems with environmental problems and used a
framework for analyzing social problems rather than environmental issues. Various reviews and
surveys of psychology and social science during the 1980s and 1990s, find a limited of studies dealing
exclusively with physical environment behaviour relations.Contemporary research on environmental
psychology in India carried out with Euro-American psychological framework has focused on the
human response to various environmental stressors such as crowding, noise, pollution, poverty,
disaster, encroachment of territory and personal space, etc. and has ignored other aspects of the
environmental problems and issue (Jain and Palsane, 2004).

Research in environmental psychology in India has been dominated mainly in the area of
crowding and growing populations. The development of environmental psychology in India refers to
considering the problem and the work of social scientists, some research including territoriality
(Asthana &Sexena, 1989), crowding (Jain, 1987), and deprivation (Misra, 2001). They all used
ecological perspectives to study psychological adaptations. Cross-cultural techniques were used to
examine the cognitive behaviour of three tribal groups in the states of Bihar – Birhour, Asir, and
Oraon. The other aspect of ecological environmental research in India have been reviewed by Jain
and Palsane (2004), Pandey (1998), and Pirta (2007, 2009a).

In the 21st century, people were mainly concerned with the problems of nature like global
warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, and other pollutions. Psychologists are facing challenges and are
trying to engage constructively in engaging in the developmental processes and framing of social
policies that are pro-environmental and hints towards sustainable development. This approach has
been highlighted by Mehta (2001), Pirta (2007, 2009b), and Tripathi (2003) in the Indian context.

The future directions for research in the Indian context may include culture-specific methods
that may be more appropriate for understanding environmental behaviour relations in the Indian
socio-cultural and environmental context. To develop culturalinclusive environmental psychology in
India, there is a need to analyse the environmentbehaviour relationship from a broader perspective
which may be envisaged within the eco-cultural framework (Barry, 1977) because the person is
perceived as an inextricable part of the human being as an integral part of the universe. As eco-
cultural framework incorporates both socio-cultural and physical components of the environment in
shaping human behaviours, it can provide culture-specific ways and means to deal with the present
environmental crisis (Singh, 2008).

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