Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. It examines the way in which the natural environment and our built environments shape us as individuals. The field defines the term environment very broadly, encompassing natural, social, built, learning, and informational environments. An environmental psychologist’s purpose is to determine which aspects of an environment can be changed to change a person’s perception of their environment, and how those changes should take place. Generally speaking, an environmental psychologist can help manipulate how people feel and act in certain spaces.
Of course, environmental psychologists will typically use their power for good rather than evil and use their skills to create more pleasant environments for everyone. And as mentioned before, being an interdisciplinary field offer multiple career choices and different paths in the future.
Here we provide you with 4 careers for aspiring Environmental Psychologists :
X- Always research
The research in the area of environmental psychology is truly fascinating; the field is wide in scope and can accommodate lots of far-reaching ideas and is always evolving. Even if you’re not pursuing teaching or a research career, still you need to keep researching frequently to be able to keep up with the fast evolution and new discoveries in the field. This can be achieved by studying the newly released books and attending lectures and conferences.
X- Get involved with activists
Working in applied units is, without any doubt, much better than sitting in your office and dreaming up your own project. In psychology, doing only basic research will rarely lead to any concrete application. Usually, basic research will lead to more basic research, that’s why Environmental Psychologists have to broaden themselves and start doing more collaborative research with activist groups, particularly in the environmental field. So get involved with activist groups and try to be helpful as a psychologist. You can be an activist but you have a certain set of skills as a psychologist, so put them to use. That will definitely expand your knowledge and allow you to see things from a different perspective.
X- Expand your knowledge in related fields
In addition to having all the necessary knowledge about the field, if you’re aiming to be a good environmental psychologist you should also have an interest and consider building up a strong background in some other different related fields that such as Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Social Studies. This set of additional skills will definitely prove to be useful both on the theoretical and practical level since environmental psychology a very interdisciplinary field.
X- Step away from your desk!
The best way to collect, compare and analyze data is to go and interact with the environment directly while observing the inhabitants’ behavior from a nearby perspective since it’s impossible to manipulate real-world settings in a laboratory. Being very attentive while observing is also important because attention is the first step of any interaction with the environment; it determines how we notice, perceive, and observe our environment. That’s why being closer to the urban and built environment can really help environmental psychologists to understand the relationship between the inhabitants and their surroundings more deeply and accurately. So take notes and pictures sketch and interact with people, that will definitely make your observations richer.