Environmental Psychology Essay

Environmental psychology is likely to be a new field for you, although many of the concepts are probably familiar. Provide your own definition of the discipline. Discuss an important milestone or influence in the development of environmental psychology and provide reasoning as to why you chose this one. The definition of environmental psychology to Sharp is the focus or study of how environments influence and affect one’s life and actions. Thoughts behind this may be why a cold restaurant makes people eat faster and why retail shops play certain music. Some people drink more when they are out with friends at a bar or restaurant but drinks less at home. The point behind environmental psychology is to examine why people react in these ways. Environmental psychologists make small improvements in working areas to encourage more productivity from the employees, such as a more â€Å"homey† feel to a cubicle or better music choice for background noise. â€Å"Architectural psychology† is, in Sharp’s opinion, an important influence in environmental psychology. Architectural psychology gave importance to the physical environment of one’s area (Steg, 2013). This period led to the advancement of relief of the physical stressors in environments. It focused on how buildings could be better built and designed, inside and out. The design of rooms and buildings can drastically affect how people function in a given area, whether at work or at home. Many architects develop buildings that reflect the sun to reduce interior temperatures. They also focus on aesthetics of rooms and create rooms where crowding is lessened from a simple design change; for example, elevated ceilings and bigger windows open a room up to make it seem much larger (â€Å"Becoming an Environmental Psychologist,† 2012).