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Psychology’s role in environmental issues

What is environmental psychology?

  • Environmental psychology is the study of transactions between individuals and their physical settings. In these transactions, individuals change the environment, and their behaviour and experiences are changed by the environment. Environmental psychology includes theory, research, and practice aimed at improving our relationship with the natural environment and making buildings more humane.
  • Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments.
  • Although "environmental psychology" is arguably the best-known and most comprehensive description of the field, it is also known as human factors science, cognitive ergonomics, ecological psychology, ecopsychology, environment-behavior studies, and person-environment studies.
  • Closely related fields include architectural psychology, socio-architecture, behavioral geography, environmental sociology, social ecology, and environmental design research, environmental and urban design and planning, environmental aesthetics, interior design, environmental impact assessment, environmental philosophy, sustainability science, environmental risk perception and management, and, of course, conservation psychology and disaster psychology, to name a few.

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