Introducing environmental psychology

Introducing Environmental Psychology  

The relationships between people and their physical surroundings

Dr Jenna Condie @jennacondie #enviropsych

By attending and participating in this session, you will be able to:

•recognise the importance and potential of environmental psychology

Just the one

Intended learning outcome:

#enviropsych

Where did environmental psychology come from?

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Flickr: Bolton Museum & Archive ServiceFlickr: Bolton Museum & Archive Service

Bomb damage to Ardwick Street Bomb damage to Ardwick Street 12 October 194112 October 1941

Film footage of Salford in the 1960s Film footage of Salford in the 1960s University of Salford ArchiveUniversity of Salford Archive

“Decent housing for the new urban working classes, who lived crowded in subhuman conditions, as Engels (1845) had denounced a century before, became one of the problems calling for an urgent solution” (Pol, 2006a, p. 100).

#enviropsych

‘Architectural psychology’

 Flickr: @andymatthews F

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For an overview of the history of environmental psychology and the ‘founding fathers’, see Pol (2006a) and (2006b)

Designing buildings to facilitate human well-being

“was officially born” (Steg et al., 2013, p.4)

Focused on the built environment

#enviropsych

Environmental psychology has evolved!7 Key Themes

1960s/1970s•Environmental •problems

– Pollution– Climate – change – Nature– Deforestation – Ecosystems

(See Gifford, 2007, p. 201)

#enviropsych

Environmental psychology can be defined as “the discipline that studies the interplay between individuals and their built and natural environments”

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See Steg et al., (2013) An Introduction to Environmental Psychology, (quote from p. 2)

The Psychology

of Sustainability

Towards a

GreenPsychology

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What should be done with this building?What should be done with this building? How can we change travel behaviours?How can we change travel behaviours?

Flickr: Richard Carter

How can recycling be improved?How can recycling be improved?

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Why do we even care?Why do we even care?

 Flickr: manchesterfoe

Home is where the heart is?

Environments are places

Home

Place Identity

Place Attachment

Belonging

Places are “doubly constructed” (Gieryn, 2002, p. 465)

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Climate Change, Adaptation and Mitigation

Link

LinkHow do we adapt? How will we adapt?How can we mitigate the effects of global warming?

A lived ideology that “people can get used to almost

anything” (Weinstein, 1982, p. 87)

Behaviour ChangeTumblr: peterfromtexas [GIF]

Climate change, sustainable development, and behaviour change strategies and interventions dominate government agendas

(Uzzell & Moser, 2009)

DO THEY?

For more, see: Journal of Environmental Psychology

MSc Environmental Psychology

University of Surrey

Environmental psychology as growing…

Environment and psychologyare flexible concepts

Link

‘Create a career protecting the planet’: see APA guide

APA Division 34

Also CUNY Graduate Centrefor environmentalPsychology

Sustainability consultantCarbon consultant

Energy ManagerConservation Work

Introducing Environmental Psychology  

The relationships between people and their physical surroundings

Dr Jenna Condie @jennacondie #enviropsych