Environmental Psychology
The objective of this paper is to examine the discipline of environmental psychology with an additional goal of defining it and comparing and contrasting some underlying theoretical approaches to environmental psychology. "Developmental psychology, as a discipline, is currently undergoing a paradigmatic/world view change. Consequently, several different theoretical approaches to the study of development and the life course have been proposed and advocated." (Wolf, 2009) There are three major world views and some developmental issues in regard to environmental psychology and this short response will attempt to outline them.

To begin, it is best to define the subject matter. Environmental psychology studies the ways in which humans perceive their environment. Human beings have certain ways in which they interact with their environment. Environmental psychology examines and makes assumptions based on these interactions such as interpretation, evaluation, operation, and response to stimuli. The bulk of environmental psychology focuses on a notion of…...

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References

Das, Jagannath P., and Naglieri, Jack A. (1997). The Cognitive Assessment System. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.

Koltko-Rivera, Mark E. (2004). The Psychology of Worldviews. Review of General Psychology. 2004, Vol. 8, No. 1, 3 -- 58.

Woolf, Linda M. (2009). Theoretical Perspectives Relevant to Developmental Psychology. Retrieved on December 5, 2009, from Webster at  http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/theories.html .

Environmental Psychology
This is an interdisciplinary field which focuses on the relationship between humans and their surroundings. It defines the term environment broadly, including natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments. When solving problems in pertaining human-environment interactions, which might be global or local, you must have a model of human nature that predicts the environmental conditions under which humans will behave in a decent and creative manner. Such a model enables one to design, manage, protect and/or restore environments that foster reasonable behavior, predict ion likely outcomes which comes about when these conditions are not met, and identifies problem situations. This field develops a model of human nature by retaining a wider and inherently multidisciplinary view. It explores two different issues such as common property resource management, view finding in complex settings, the effect of environmental stress on human performance, the characteristics of restorative environments, human…...

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Bibliography

Gifford, R. (2007). Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice (4th ed.). Colville, WA: Optimal Books.

Proshansky, H.M. (1987). The field of environmental psychology: securing its future

Altman, I., Christensen, K. (Eds.). 'Environment and Behavior Studies: Emergence of Intellectual Traditions,' pp. 169 -- 185

Environmental Psychology:
The field of environmental psychology is a specialized discipline within psychology whose major developments have been totally adopted into mainstream psychology. In past few decades, the much of the positive and negative visibility of environmental psychology have been lost. One of the significant visibilities to be lost is the initial enthusiasm that came from the common desire by designers and social scientists in developing buildings that would work better for people. In addition to being incorporated into mainstream psychology, environmental psychology has also been adopted into other areas of psychology including social psychology and health psychology. Consequently, environmental education has now become a major area within education and various organizations are increasingly studying human behavior and the physical environment.

The Discipline of Environmental Psychology:

The discipline of environmental psychology can be defined as the study of the relationship between human behavior and the physical environment. Since this discipline seeks to explain…...

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References:

Clayton, S. & Myers, G. (2009). Conversation Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

Evans, G.W. (n.d.). Current Trends in Environmental Psychology. Retrieved February 12, 2012,

from  http://www.ucm.es/info/Psyap/iaap/evans.htm 

Stewart, A.E. (2007, March1). Individual Psychology and Environmental Psychology. Journal of Individual Psychology, 63(1), 67-85. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=683c2681-82da-4688-ab5c-e765114727dd%40sessionmgr111&vid=4&hid=115

Environmental Psychology
In basic terms, environmental psychology is taken to be an interdisciplinary subject mainly concerned with the interplay between individuals and that which surrounds them. In this text, I come up with a concise and clear definition of environmental psychology as a discipline. In so doing, I will also identify the main differences and similarities between two environmental psychology theoretical approaches. Further, I will highlight the relevance of research in the environmental psychology field.

Environmental Psychology: A Concise Definition

According to Nagar (2006), the environmental psychology field was initially known as "architectural psychology." This according to the author was based on the field's roots where the focus was chiefly on features (physical) of building design and how it impacted on the behavior of humans. According to Cassidy (1997), various definitions of environmental psychology have been formulated over time by a number of authors. One of the definitions floated according to Cassidy views…...

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References

Bell, P.A., Greene, T.C., Fisher, J. & Baum A. (2005). Environmental Psychology. Routledge.

Cassidy, T. (1997). Environmental Psychology. Behavior and Experiences in Context. Psychology Press.

Coon, D. & Mitterer, J.O. (2006). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Cengage Learning.

Nagar, D. (2006). Environmental Psychology. Concept Publishing Company.

Environmental Psychology
As a brief introduction of this study, environmental psychology pertains to the Correlational approach and linkages that are focused on the relationship between human being and their environment. This is a scientific study that are focused on the importance of natural environments that can be utilized by human beings that are focused on the development and manipulation of prioritization of certain issues and challenges affecting the environment. In this manner, the existence of the environment is influential to the world of humans for the fact that the degree of the environment's capability improves the welfare of the society to make the quality of life achieved. The concept of environmental psychology has an interest for applying the principles of design that can be made as an important structure in the environment according to Davis (2011). This can be in the form of architectural design and infrastructures that involves the study…...

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Reference

Davis, John (2011). Ecopsychology and environmental psychology. Accessed: http://www.johnvdavis.com/ep/index.htm.

Edgerton, Eddie (2009). Environmental Psychology. Available: http://www.c-s-p.org/flyers/9781847182180-sample.pdf.

Evans, Gary (2007). Environmental Stress. Accessed: http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~scohen/environstress.pdf.

Graetz, Ken. (2009). Environment Learning Moments. Retrieved from:  http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0663.pdf .

Psychology and Environmental Preservation:
Environmental Psychology and Preservation:

Environmental psychology is a field in psychology that deals with the analysis of interactions and the relations between human populations and their environments. This field is sometimes referred to as ecological psychology, environmental sociology, social ecology, ecopsychology, and environmental social sciences. The conventional emphasis of the environmental psychology has been the emphasis on how the physical environmental influences the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals. On the other hand, recent studies in the field of environmental research have begun to focus on how various human actions impact the environment. This has contributed to the increased evaluation of the natural and man-made ecological issues of the relationship of people to their environment. The analyses have adopted a crucial significance to people's quality of life and the survival capacity of human beings. As the focus of recent researches in the field of environmental psychology focuses on…...

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References:

Neil, D. (2010, September 25). National Public Lands Day: The Psychology of Preservation.

Retrieved March 10, 2012, from  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deanna-neil/national-public-lands-day_b_739038.html 

Saunders, C.D. (2003). The Emerging Field of Conservation Psychology. Human Ecology

Forum, 10(2), 137-149. Retrieved from  http://www.ibcperu.org/doc/isis/5630.pdf

Human Need for Privacy
Environmental psychology is the study of the interaction between the physical world and human behavior. In recent years, the topic of privacy has been a key aspect of this field of study, as research reveals that it directly relates to a sense of well being and control. A supportive physical environment has been proven to contribute to a successful social, private and work life, and privacy is a key factor in creating a positive environmental setting.

hy e Need Privacy

There are many theories as to why people need privacy. Many psychologists believe that people need to maintain personal space between themselves and others to avoid overstimulation. According to Scott (1993), when people are too close to one another, they are bombarded with too many social or physical stimuli.

Some researchers argue that people need to maintain personal space to avoid various stressors associated with very close proximity. This group…...

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Works Cited

Altman, I. (1975). The environment and social behavior. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Altman, I. (1976). Privacy: A conceptual analysis. Environment and behavior, 8, 7-29.

Altman, I. (1977). Privacy regulation: Culturally universal or culturally specific? Journal of Social Issues, 33(3), 66-84.

Baum, A., Singer, J.E., & Baum, C.S. (1981). Stress and the environment. Journal of Social Issues, 37(1), 4-29.

Environmental Psychology: Securing its Future" by Harold M. Proshansky
Relatively young field, is it secure?

Epistemology: study or theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge

How did field begin, where is it going?

Environmental Psychology: Yesterday and Today

Yesterday

Empiricism -- theory of relying on observation, experiment, experience

Positivism -- theory that considers religion, metaphysics imperfect means, and relies on natural phenomenon and empirical sciences

Field developed in 1960s during social and political upheavals

But even before, after WWII -- new structures built, rapid growth -- increased research in social psychology, emphasis on attitude change, group processes, intergroup conflicts

Lewin (1948), Festinger, Schacter, and Back (1950) and Deutch (1949) students of Lewin (1948) -- began applying field theory conceptions to various social problems

Confluence of Forces

laboratory-experimental model but failure to apply to real world -- leads to loss of credibility and "malaise" in the social sciences in 1960s and 1970s -- still absence of environmental psychology blatantly -- noisily…...

psychology and human behavior. Specifically it will discuss the effects of population density on individuals, including noise and territoriality. Population density has a dramatic affect on the population, and it can even lead to major health concerns. Studies show that residents of high-noise areas suffer a variety of ailments, from loss of attention span to hearing loss and stress. The denser the population, the more noise, stress, and lack of personal space all come together to make living conditions far less bearable than any other living situation.
Noise is one of the biggest problems facing the residents of high-density population centers. Noise can affect just about every aspect of life, and it can make sleeping, learning, conversing, and every aspect of life nearly unbearable. Noise is a part of life, but high noise levels are often most prevalent in inner cities and areas of high population density, meaning that more…...

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References

Editors. (2009). The San Francisco noise model. Retrieved 23 Dec. 2009 from the San Francisco Department of Public Heath Web site:  http://www.sfphes.org/HIA_Tools_Noise.htm .

Goines, L. And Hagler, L. (2007). Noise pollution: A modern plague. Southern Medical Journal, Volume 100: p. 287-294.

Harris, A.S., Fleming, G.G., Lang, W.W. And Schomer, P.D. (2004). Reducing the impact of environmental noise on quality of life requires an effective national noise policy. Retrieved 23 Dec. 2009 from the Volpe.dot.gov Web site:  http://www.volpe.dot.gov/acoustics/docs/2000/dts-34-03_2.pdf .

Human esponse to Physical Structure:
Environmental psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on explaining human behavior in relation to the physical environment. In this case, the physical environment basically incorporates plants, animals, and material objects that have a significant impact on behavior at various levels. However, this branch of psychology does not focus on the interactional procedures among people as emphasized on other branches of psychology. In analyzing human behavior, it adopts a systems approach that has become the main approach in modern science.

Impact of Physical Structure on Human Behavior:

According to various theories, the physical environment or structure affects human behavior at various levels with instant behavior acting as a function of settings with which it happens (Matthew, n.d.). The individual personality traits of people within a specified country are largely influenced by the nature and type of physical environment that these individuals are subject to for a long…...

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References:

Goode, J.P. (n.d.). 'The Human Response to the Physical Environment.' The Elementary School

Teacher, 4(5), pp. 271-282. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/992499.pdf?acceptTC=true

"Importance of Sustainable Architecture in 21st Century." (2010, June 21). Architecture Student

Chronicles. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from  http://www.architecture-student.com/sustainable-design/importance-of-sustainable-architecture-in-21st-century/

Know the predominant features of each personality disorder = Such knowledge will help the therapist to identify assistance strategies ahead of time, which can be modified as necessary.

Know about the link between borderline personality disorder and suicide attempts = an awareness of this link will help the therapist to identify warning signs and provide assistance in a timely way.

Know that group therapy is useful for treatment of avoidant personality disorder = Knowing this avoids the intuitive tendency to reinforce the patient's avoidance.

Patients with which disorder are most likely to seek treatment on their own? Depression sufferers are most likely to seek treatment for their condition.

Problems in using the DSM-IV-TR to diagnose personality disorders = the main concern is that some guidelines are very specific. Some personality disorders may overlap or display atypical symptoms.

Chapter 14

Are boys or girls more likely to have a diagnosable psychological disorder? = Boys are more likely…...

Important Theorists and their Contributions:

roca contributed greatly to the initial recognition of the importance of specific brain regions to particular aspects of human psychology and behavior in the middle of the 19th century. Shortly thereafter, William James published one of the first formal academic explanation of biopsychology just before the turn of the 20th century, titled the Principles of Psychology (Dennet, 1991; Pinker, 2002). James acknowledged that personal experience and external environmental factors played a role in human psychological development, but only in so far as they represent sets and types of automatic, involuntary, and inherent biological responses to circumstances (Dennet, 1991).

Approximately 60 years later, Walter Hess pioneered a method of directly exploring the role of specific brain regions and structures through the use of electro- stimulation (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2005). y implanting electrodes into anesthetized laboratory animals, Hess demonstrated that specific behaviors could be triggered by electrically stimulating the…...

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Bibliography

Dennet, D. (1991). Consciousness Explained. New York: Little Brown & Co.

Dennet, D. (1996). Kinds of Minds: Toward an Understanding of Consciousness. New York: Basic Books

Gerrig, R, Zimbardo, P. (2005). Psychology and Life. 17th Edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Pinker, S. (2002). The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.

y that time, several guards had become sadistic and the behavior of the prisoners provided clear indications of psychological breakdown. Interviews with study participants suggested that merely the perception of their respective roles influenced their behavior. More importantly, the groupthink that prevailed within the group of prison guards overcame any individual personal reluctance they may have had to treat their prisoners so harshly (Macionis 2003). The Significance of the Phenomenon of Groupthink on Individual ehavior:
Like deference to authority, groupthink is a natural human tendency that likely evolved as a necessary component of human social relationships that were essential to the early success of our species (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005). In modern context, however, groupthink represents tremendous destructive potential because in the extreme, it involves the complete suspension of individual judgment and perception. In benign situations groupthink is evident in popular culture, such as in the cycle of fashion trends,…...

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Bibliography

Branden, Nathaniel (1999). The Psychology of Self-Esteem.

New York: Bantam.

Gerrig, R, Zimbardo, P. (2005). Psychology and Life. 17th Edition.

New York: Allyn & Bacon.

g. hospitals, etc.) need signs because there are few waypoints that are familiar; lack of way finding indoors causes stress
Way finding for the Blind -- the Blind pay more attention to environmental cues, but otherwise research shows react similarly to the fully sighted

You are Here maps -- must be in alignment with building or cognition is worse than having no map at all -- must be aligned pointing north, etc. -- or will disorient

There are practical effects to finding landmarks and clustering objects and paths around them

The "Theory of Mind" (TOM) is the ability to individually attribute mental states (e.g. beliefs, desires, knowledge, fantasy, etc.) to the individual self and others with the goal of understanding and empathizing with the drives and intentions of human beings.

Way finding indoors is a special problem -- people need signs every 50 feet or so to assure them they are on the right path…...

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Source:

Bechtel, R. (1997). Environment and Behavior: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications.

As emotionally intelligent employees are reportedly more content, conscientious and committed in the workplace, businesses and organizations are repeatedly advised to recruit and retain these individuals. Abraham (2006), nevertheless, reports that the strongest findings emerging from her study was.".. The effect of job control on emotional intelligence." She contends that emotionally intelligent employees will not just naturally thrive in their workplace; that the work environment needs to provide independence in decision making for employees to succeed.

Aims and Objectives

Aim

To explore concepts encapsulated in and related to EQ testing, through intensive research and appropriate assessment of collected data.

esearch for this project proposes to increase understanding of EQ testing, as well as, complementary components.

Each objective presented in this proposal reflects an area of interest which will be expounded upon. As Objective 5, however, mirrors a primary consideration, plans are to include numerous samplings of related studies.

1.2 Objective

Define EQ and expand on its role…...

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References

Abraham, Rebecca. "The Role of Job Control as a Moderator of Emotional Dissonance and Emotional Intelligence -- Outcome Relationships.(Statistical Data Included)," the Journal of Psychology, March 1, 2000.

Bar-on, Reuven Ph.D (2005). "The World's First Scientific Measure of Emotional Intelligence."(2006). PEN Psychodiagnostics [26 September 2006].  http://www.eqiq.nl/eqivol.htm .

A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5008598359

Before You Start Your Fruit and Fibre Diet You Should Speak to This Man. (2005, February 9). Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), p. 12.

Kurt Lewin: Revolutionizing Social Psychology

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) was a German-American psychologist who is widely regarded as the founder of social psychology. His groundbreaking work revolutionized the field by introducing new theories, methods, and perspectives that continue to shape our understanding of human behavior and social dynamics.

Field Theory and the Life Space

Central to Lewin's approach was his field theory, which posited that behavior is determined by the individual's psychological "life space." The life space encompasses the individual's perceptions, motivations, needs, and the social and environmental forces that influence them. Lewin believed that by understanding the field space, we could better predict....