Abstract. Environmental Psychology deals withbehavior in relation to the environment. Concepts regarding theenvironment and aesthetic preferences are studied and representedin behavioral maps. Environment influences behavior at differentlevels. Immediate behavior is a function of the setting in whichit occurs. The personality make-up of people of a country isshaped by the nature and type of environment in which they live.In unnatural or caged conditions animals show `behaviorstarvation` and their behavior breaks down. Population stress andthe artificial character of urban conditions are supposed to bethe reasons for the increased rates of crime and incidence ofmental disorders of people living in urban areas. AppliedEnvironmental Psychology attempts to provide norms for bettermanagement of the environment for better life and personalitydevelopment. It studies effective ways of promoting conservationof the natural environment and better ways of designingbuildings, towns and cities, taking into consideration thebehavioral needs and responses of people.
1. Introduction
Environmental Psychology deals withbehavior in relation to the physical environment. The physicalenvironment includes material objects, plants, animals and humanbeings. Environmental Psychology does not emphasize theinteractional processes among people, which form the subjectmatter of other branches of Psychology. Environmental Psychologyfollows the systems approach which has become the modern approachin several branches of science. It is holistic and naturalisticand studies the adaptation of organisms to their settings.Organisms are studied as part of the ecosystem, stressing thebalance and interdependence of organisms and the `environment.This field of science took shape during the 1960s and`Environmental Psychology and Population` has been included as adivision of the American Psychological Association.The importance of the field has increasedin recent years owing to the increased concern with theenvironment resulting from the pollution problems, problems posedby population explosion, depletion of natural resources and thefelt need to conserve wilderness.
2. Concepts of EnvironmentalPsychologyBehavioral Geography studies the cognitivemaps of the individual regarding his environment. It tracesenvironmental values, meanings and preferences. Behavioral mapsare prepared relating activities to surroundings. Lines torepresent direction of movement, colors to represent time spentand so on are techniques used in the preparation of such maps.Behavior maps can be prepared for exploratory behavior,neighborhood feelings, etc. Environmental aesthetics studiespreferences in terms of aesthetic judgements. Recently attemptshave been made to relate environmental preferences to personalitycharacteristics, race and national character {Hall 1976; Berry1976}.
3. Influence of Environment onBehavior
It has been hypothesized that environmentinfluences behavior at several levels. Immediate behavior is afunction of the settings in which it occurs. For example, thearrangement of furniture in a room influences the way in whichpeople in the room interact. The characteristic personalitymake-up of persons in a country is shaped by the nature and typeof environment to which they are subjected for long periods oftime. Racial differences in personality can to a large extent betraced to the influence of different environments to which peopleof different races have been subjected for generations {Moos1976}.For example, it is supposed that climateinfluences temperament. The cold climate presumably makes people`Rajasik`. The possibility of freezing induces insecurity and ina
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