Environmental psychology: object, sociophysical "realities" and cultural views of environment-behavior interactions

Abstract

The author defines the object of Environmental Psychology as the mutual influence of environmental and behavioral factors on the analysis of specific problems and their solutions. As for the dimensions of reality, he firstly discusses the topic physical environment and the conditions that should be taken into account when one studies environmental behavior. Secondly, he discusses the socio-cultural aspects of our surroundings and how they influence both our lay and scientific views of the world, arguing that, as different cultures produce different environmental views, these can manifest in specific Environmental Psychologies, but this does not mean the idea of a universal Environmental Psychology should be abandoned.