Environmental Psychology: Securing Its Future by Harold Essay

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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 elusive -- hard to understand

Emergence of Environmental Design / Psychology

Result of external factors put pressure on all behavioral sciences

Unprecedented growth of urban, suburban

Need to answer questions about human needs, values, behaviors, experiences

Architect planners such as Fitch (1965), Alexander (1964), Izumi (1965), Lynch (1960)-challenging values, assumptions about day-to-day existence but only a small number actually responded with regards to actual human needs in relationship to environmental design

Another powerful force for change -- Environemtnal Crisis….

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Earth Day 1970, protests, wilderness preservation, public concern over pollution

More emphasis on quality of life, not just survival, greater awareness of noise pollution, crowding, inconvenience…need for human dignity

Squeezing people into smaller settings, to maximize speed, efficiency, uniformity at expense of variation, freedom, choice, aesthetics

Then social upheaval 1960s,, esp on college campuses, related to civil rights, Vietnam war, research and teaching, were they relevant?

42.2.3 Today: Where are We?

Social psychologists playing more of a role

42.4.4: Environmental psychology today: Some properties purpose of research to resolve complex problems, contribute to individual well being, and the society methodology rooted in real world, where the problems occurred = contextual research -- examine real settings (no lab)

High unemployment in community takes longer to produce….....

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"Environmental Psychology Securing Its Future By Harold", 28 November 2012, Accessed.21 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/environmental-psychology-securing-future-106582