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Unit 24: Psychotherapy: Environmental Approach

The end of World War II brought about a higher demand for developments in the field of social Notes
psychology particularly in the areas of attitude change, small-group processes, and intergroup conflict.
This demand caused psychologists to begin applying social psychology theories to a number of
social issues such as prejudice, war, and peace. It was thought that if these problems were addressed,
underlying notions and principles would surface.
Although this time period was crucial to the development of the field, the methodologies used to
carry out the studies were questionable. At the time, studies were being conducted in a laboratory
setting, which caused some doubt as to their validity in the real world. Consequently, environmental
psychologists began to conduct studies outside of the laboratory, enabling the field to continue to
progress. Today environmental psychology is being applied to many different areas such as
architecture and design, TV programs, and advertisements.

24.3 Characteristics of Environmental Approach

Problem oriented
Environmental psychology is a direct study of the relationship between an environment and how
that environment affects its inhabitants. Specific aspects of this field work by identifying a problem
and through the identification of said problem, discovering a solution. Therefore it is necessary for
environmental psychology to be problem oriented. The problems identified by environmental
psychologists affect all members of society. These problems can be anything from the psychological
effects of urban crowding to the architectural design of public schools and extend from the public
arena into the individual household.
One important aspect of a problem-oriented field is that by identifying problems, solutions arise
from the research acquired. The solutions can aid in making society function better as a whole and
create a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of societies. Environmental psychologist
Harold Proshansky discusses how the field is also. “value oriented” because of the field’s commitment
to bettering society through problem identification. Proshansky discusses the importance of not
only understanding the problem but also the necessity of a solution. Proshansky also points out
some of the problems of a problem-oriented approach for environmental psychology. First the
problems being identified must be studied under certain specifications : it must be ongoing and
occurring in real life, not in a laboratory. Second, the notions about the problems must derive
directly from the source - meaning they must come directly from the specific environment where
the problem is occurring. The solutions and understanding of the problems cannot come from an
environment that has been constructed and modeled to look like real life. Environmental psychology
needs to reflect the actual society not a society built in a laboratory setting. The difficult task of the
environmental psychologist is to study problems as they are occurring in everyday life. It is hard to
reject all laboratory research because laboratory experiments are where theories may be tested without
damaging the actual environment or can serve as models when testing solutions. Proshansky makes
this point as well, discussing the difficulty in the overall problem oriented approach. He states that
it is important, however, for the environmental psychologist to utilize all aspects of research and
analysis of the findings and to take into account both the general and individualized aspects of the
problems.
Environmental psychology addresses environmental problems such as density and crowding, noise
pollution, sub-standard living, and urban decay. Noise increases environmental stress. Although it
has been found that control and predictability are the greatest factors in stressful effects of noise;
context, pitch, source and habituation are also important variables.
Environmental psychologists have theorized that density and crowding can also have an adverse
effect on mood and may cause stress-related illness. To understand and solve environmental problems,
environmental psychologists believe concepts and principles should come directly from the physical

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