Careers in Envir onmental Psychology
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IntroductionENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY studies the relationship between environments and human behavior as well as how they affect one other. These environments include social settings, built environments, learning environments and informational environments. Why are some spaces comfortable and others threatening? How can we enhance our environments to reduce stress, create more efficiency, and minimize accidents? These are a few questions that environmental psychologists work with. Humans react both consciously and unconsciously to the area in which they live and work. Their environment, whether it be natural or man made, has a profound effect on feelings, behaviors, general health issues, and productivity. The goal of the field is to solve problems involving human-environmental interactions and to create, manage, protect, and restore environments that promote proper behavior. Researchers diagnose problem situations and recommend solutions. A great majority of research in Environmental Psychology is done in the field rather than in the lab. Environmental psychologists assess, analyze, and advise on personal space and environments in general. They usually work in teams with other professionals such as urban and city planners, architects, economists, engineers, and designers, just to name a few. A Brief HistoryResearch in Environmental Psychology started in 1950 with a campaign to improve mental hospitals. Architects in charge of building these hospitals where more concerned with the structure rather than human needs. They turned to psychologists for information on cognition and social and human behavior. This collaboration between architects and psychologists created a field called Architectural Psychology. Over the years, problems expanded beyond architectural situations to parks and landscapes, thus creating Environmental Psychology. Researchers began discovering the mismatches between humans and their environment. Psychologists began trying to solve these problems through improved design. A field that had started with investigating color and chair arrangements in mental hospitals moved to tracking visitors in national parks and studying the stresses associated with urban commuting. Today there are many environmental research programs throughout the world. The type of research and training occurring in each area reflects local, cultural, and environmental contexts (e.g., density of population and overcrowding in Japan, responses to natural environments such as forest and oceans in Scandinavia, quality of life in major cities in Brazil). Important Terms and DefinitionsThere are many terms associated with Environmental Psychology. Below you will find a few of the important ones for begininng to understanding the field.
Some Interesting SubfieldsThere are many different subfields or areas that make up Environmental Psychology. All of the different areas work together in some way or another. Taking part in any of these subdisciplines can result in creating a better environment for humans and nature.
A Typical Day Practicing Environmental Psychology
|
Some Potential Attractions of Careers in Environmental Psychology |
||
Part of Bigger Picture | The parts that psychologists play are important in a big overall project. It may be satisfying to know you are an important part of such a serious process of making a real difference to others.. | |
Very broad | There are many subfields in Environmental Psychology, allowing for many choices of of what to concentrate upon. | |
Many Job Opportunities | Because the field is so broad and new, many job opportunities are available. | |
Constantly Growing | Humans are becoming more environmentally conscious and therefore the trend to protect our environment is constantly growing. | |
Field Work | Real life situations are best studied in field settings. To be out talking with people, interacting, and doing "hands on" research may be more appealing than being in a lab all day. | |
Some Potential Drawbacks of Careers in Environmental Psychology |
||
Always Changing | Peoples' environments and the state of the economy are always changing. For those who do not like change, this is not the best field to work in. | |
Many People Involved | Teamwork is the key to being successful in this field. Everyone needs to get along and agree. There are many people that need to be involved, which can end up being frustrating in reaching goals. | |
Unpredictable Financial Support | Financial support for projects is usually given for immediate problems or specific needs, without necessarily considering the larger picture. | |
Long Term Projects | A lot of the projects that environmental psychologists assist in are ones that are very in depth and take a long time to implement. This may be challenging for someone who is looking for more immediate work results. | |
NEEDED SKILLS, ABILITIES, and KNOWLEDGE: The number one skill in this field is teamwork. One also needs to have a passion for the environment and a sincere interest in protecting it and making life for other humans more safe, enjoyable, and healthy. A willingness to travel at times is also important. It is also helpful to be savvy with time management and computer use. It is also useful to be able to take criticism well and to deal with pressure without become overly stressed. Usually, you need to be trained in more than one related field.
OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE: Although most entry level jobs require a master's degree, receiving a achelor's degree and doing related work experience may be sufficient. Job are limited with a B.A. degree and advancement without getting further education is unlikely. If you chose to take the environmental design route, salary for bachelors degree is $43,100 (1999 data). Another area related to the field is Environmental Architecture, for which the salary average is $36,600-65,800 with a bachelor's degree.
OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE: Receiving a master's degree typically qualifies candidates for entry-level positions. With this, one is able to work for a firm, urban planning group, or do some research. Salary in this area is $35,400-$68,000 (1999 data). If you chose to take a different route such as design, the salary is around $49,900. Receiving a master's degree will allow you to teach, with the average salary ranging from $35,000-$40,000 to start. See the APA Graduate Guide and sites such as Gradschools.com for more information.
There has been a widespread incorporation of Environmental Psychology into other areas of psychology. Social and health psychology have areas devoted to environmental topics. Environmental psychologists may also testify at legislative hearings and advise planning groups and organizations on environmental issues. Many journals and books contain reports on environmental stress, residential mobility, environmental attitudes, human dimensions of global change, and environmental attitudes. One such book that may be helpful in gaining more knowledge about the field is The Handbook of Environmental Psychology from Krieger Publications. Below are a few sites that canadd to your knowledge of Environmental Psychology.
Some General Resources for Learning More about Environmental Psychology |
||
Center for Human Environments | The Center for Human Environments brings together architects, psychologists, geographers, anthropologists, political scientists, and urban planners. | |
Urban Ecology | This is an organization dedicated to building ecologically and socially healthy cities. | |
International Community for Ecopsychology | The goal of this program is to provide a public forum for discussing diverse experiences related to human-nature relationships. | |
This field is very young. Environmental Psychology course offerings are at an all time high in North America. The field is growing rapidly and employment for urban and regional planners is expected to grow over the next decade.
There continues to be a strong commitment within Environmental Psychology to studying human-environment relationships. Studies are currently being done on stressors and on crossover effects between different settings (e.g., work and home life). In addition, we will continue to see research on family and neighborhood effects on child development as well as more research on life direction choices.