Introduction
The purpose of this essay is to explore the topic, Influences of the Environment on individuals as a part of Environmental Psychology. Environmental Psychology helps individuals to understand their relationship with the environment, including both built and natural environments. Studies have established that environments influence individuals’ behaviors at certain levels. Individuals’ immediate behaviors depend on specific environments in which they take place. In other words, people feel comfortable in natural settings while unnatural environments disturb behaviors. Therefore, individuals’ behavior needs are related to their environments. Several researchers have demonstrated harmful influences of urban environments on human behaviors (Mathew, 2001). At the same time, human behavior patterns could also experience break down in artificial environment and therefore, the need for restorative environments.
A connection between health and the environment
An earlier study by Stephen Kaplan attempted to highlight the relationship between health and the environment (Kaplan, 1992). Human beings are connected to their environments. Over time, built environments have replaced significant parts of human’s natural environments. Natural environments have critical roles to play in individuals’ health. For instance, Kaplan shows that the gap between people and their natural environments leads to experiences of mental fatigue (Kaplan, 1992). As a result, individuals tend to be “less tolerant, less effective, and less healthy” (Kaplan, 1992, p. 134) due to disconnect with the natural environment.
Kaplan noted that the natural environment had a critical role to play in limiting such negative effects. Hence, it is imperative to understand the relationship between environments and human health.
Contemporary environments have exposed human to pressures. These pressures compete for human attentions. Studies have provided valuable knowledge that has made human prone to stimuli, which are hard to ignore but not helpful or satisfying. At the same time, other researchers have shown improved health outcomes in certain environments. Consequently, there is a clear relationship between human health and the environment.
How the natural environment has affected or influenced my health and/or well-being
Today, I operate in a built environment with various competing interests. As a result, I experience pressures that inevitably change my life. While these pressures have existed, they have cumulative effects that have aggravated my interaction with the built environment.
Therefore, the natural environment has served restorative purposes for my well-being and health. In this regard, accessible natural environments offer natural environments that restore health, particularly by reducing mental fatigue. Kjellgren and Buhrkall (2010) noted that the natural environment offered an imperatively higher rating of “degree of altered states of consciousness (ASC) and energy than the simulated natural environment” (p. 464). This study finding reflects the effect of the natural environment on my well-being.
The natural environment helps me to relieve stress and mental fatigue. This facilitates restoration of my normal mental status. Being away in forests, parks, beaches and mountains have helped me to improve my health. The built urban environment does not provide me with adequate opportunities to seek restoration in the natural environment. The inability to gain access to the natural environment readily has been detrimental to my mental health. Natural environments, therefore, have provided me with opportunities to improve my health.
My own restorative environment(s)
My ideal restorative environments are parks, mountains, beaches and forests. These natural environments provide me with opportunities to interact with nature and feel the sense of being away from urban environments and constant distractions.
These natural environments have been restful and offer healing experiences. At the same time, they provide me with opportunities to reflect past events of my life and develop new life priorities.
The natural environment presents comforting conditions but also offers opportunities to experience its wildness. Such experiences also allow me to learn new things about natural environments. Restorative effects of natural environments on me have profound health benefits and allow me to appreciate them.
Factors contribute to the environment being restorative to me
There are some elements, which make the natural environment restorative to me. First, the sense of being away from urban settings to natural environments has restorative effects. In most cases, the need to get away and experience nature serves restorative purposes.
Second, the natural environment has fascinating effect. This drives my interest to interact with nature involuntarily. Abilities to engage nature freely without too much demand and confusion promote restorative experiences. Natural settings offer inherent attractions that motivate me to indulge further.
Third, I normally find restorative experiences in specific areas such as mountains, lakes, beaches and forests. I have found out that I am compatible with these places. I can therefore experience restorative effects on natural environments in such settings. I need less effort to interact with these places due to compatibility. I have noted that it is difficult to function in urban environments than in natural settings.
Finally, the extent to which I engage the natural environment also influences my restorative experiences.
Conclusion
The essay has explored Influences of the Environment on individuals as a part of Environmental Psychology. It highlights the relationship between individual health and natural environments. It shows that people derive restorative benefits from their natural environments. The urban built environment creates pressures to people and they seek to escape such settings in natural environments. People are able to relieve their mental fatigue and stress once in the natural environments.
The natural environments can provide effective restorative experiences if people understand specific environments that meet their unique needs. Overall, people must understand the relevance of natural environments on their health and well-being.
References
Kaplan, S. (1992). The Restorative Environment: Nature and Human Experience. In D. Relf (Ed.), The Role ofHorticJnue in Human Well-Being and Social Development (pp. 134-142). Portland, OR: Timber Press. Web.
Kjellgren, A., & Buhrkall, H. (2010). A comparison of the restorative effect of a natural environment with that of a simulated natural environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 464–472. Web.
Mathew, G. (2001). Environmental Psychology. Web.