Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment Chapter 7 The Physical Environment

KEY POINTS ADDRESSED Identifying the Physical Environment Theories to Explain the Relationship between the Physical Environment and Human Behavior Stimulation Control Behavior Settings The Natural Environment Good for Body, Mind, and Spirit An Inconvenient Truth Why Do We Care The Built Environment For Large Groups In Daily Living Special Circumstances Considering the Possibilities Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Identifying the Physical Environment What is the physical environment? What is the transactional approach to understanding the relationship between the physical environment and human behavior? What aspects of the physical environment are related to human behavior? Both natural and built.. How does physical environment relate to social environment.. Can you have physical environment without social environment.. Can you have social environment without physical environment Iterative nature.. .. Interlocking and on-going process.. People shape and are shaped by their environments. Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Physical Environment – Consists of the natural environment and the built environment Serves as source of sensory information (explained by stimulation theories) Constrains or limits some behaviors (explained by control theories) Encourages / prescribes some behaviors (explained by behavior setting theories) Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Theories that Explain the Relationship between the Physical Environment and Human Behavior Stimulation Theories The physical environment is a source of sensory information essential for human well-being Patterns of stimulation influence thinking, emotions, social interaction, and health. Important concepts stimulus overload restricted environmental stimulation Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Theories that Explain the Relationship between the Physical Environment and Human Behavior (cont) Control Theories Humans desire control over their physical environment. Some person/environment configurations provide more control over the physical environment than others. Important concepts: privacy personal space (boundary-regulating mechanisms) territoriality (boundary-regulating mechanisms) crowding Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Theories that Explain the Relationship between the Physical Environment and Human Behavior, (cont) Behavior Settings Theories Consistent, uniform patterns of behavior occur in particular settings. Behaviors of different persons in the same setting are more similar than the behaviors of the same person in different settings. Important concepts: behavior settings programs staffing Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Comparing and Contrasting the Theories of Physical Environment How do the various human behavior theoretical perspectives help us better understand the theories of the relationship between the physical environment and the human environment Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Natural Environment: Good for Body, Mind, and Spirit Water – the preferred landscape element Trees – increase positive, creative, cooperative feelings Sunlight – curvilinear relationship with feelings of relaxation Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Natural Environment: “An Inconvenient Truth”? Growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, and fuel >>> humans change ecosystems to meet demand >> sizable, mostly irreversible loss of diversity of life > exacerbated poverty for some groups of people Many costs of the changes will be deferred to future generations. The degradation of world ecosystems expected to grow significantly worse in the first half of the 21st century. Reversing the degradation of ecosystems will require major changes in policies across the globe. Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Natural Environment: Why Do We Care? The spiritual model: views nature as sacred in its own right and threatened by human activity. The ecological model: views humans as interconnected with nature, and looks to science and technology to find ways for humans to live in balance with nature. Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Built Environment: The Result of Human Effort How stimulation theory, control theory, and behavior setting theory help us design optimal settings for large groups of people, such as: Therapeutic institutions like mental hospitals and residential treatment facilities Schools and universities Correctional institutions Institutions for persons with mental etardation Large hospitals College dormitories Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Built Environment: The Result of Human Effort How would stimulation theory, control theory, and behavior setting theory help us design optimal settings for daily living in: Planned residential communities New urban villages Low income housing projects Urban and suburban condominiums Chapter 7: Physical Environment

The Built Environment: The Result of Human Effort How would stimulation theory, control theory, and behavior setting theory help us design optimal settings for special circumstances, such as: Crime prevention Substance addictions Homeless populations Persons with physical disabilities Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Physical Environment Needs of Particular Populations: Children and Elderly Adults: Personal identity Sense of competence Intellectual, social, and motor development Security and trust A balance of social interaction and privacy Chapter 7: Physical Environment

Consider: Why the authors of the text suggest that conflict theory applies to accessible environments for persons with disabilities How the concepts of place attachment and place identity can be incorporated into social work interventions What role, if any, the physical environment, both natural and built, played in the Virginia Tech shootings of April 2007 Chapter 7: Physical Environment