CHAPTER -8

PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE

 Human – Environment Relationship
INTRODUCTIO
N
Environmental Effects on Human
Behaviour

Promoting Pro- Environmental

Behaviour

Psychology and Social Concerns

  The relationship between human
behavior and the environment plays a
special role in our lives 
 There are three different views on
human-environment relationship –
Human – 1. Minimalist Perspective : environment
has a negligible influence on the well-being
Environment of human beings.
Relationship 2. Instrumental Perspective: environment
is for use by human beings for their
comfort and well-being
3. Spiritual Perspective: environment as
something which ought to be respected
and valued in a true sense rather than just
using it for comfort.
 Environmental Effects
on Human Behaviour

Environmental Environmental Ecological influences

influences on influences on on occupation living
perception emotions style and attitudes
Human Influence on Environment

 Human beings also exert their influence on the natural

environment for fulfilling their physical needs and other purposes.
 Some of these human actions harm and damage the
environment, and ultimately harm themselves, in numerous ways
called environmental stressors-

NOISE – It is defined as sound that is annoying or irritating, and felt

to be unpleasant.
POLLUTION – It is any substance that negatively impacts the
environment or organisms that live within the affected environment.
CROWDING - It refers to a feeling of discomfort and uneasiness as a
lot of people or things are there around us and that gives us a feeling
of restriction.
• Individuals vary in terms of their reaction to the Negative effects of crowding and that can be
explained in two forms as follows-
Crowding Tolerance refers to the ability to mentally deal with a high density or crowded environment.
Competition Tolerance is the ability to put up with a situation in which individuals would have to
compete with many others for necessities like physical space.
Personal Space is the comfortable physical space that an individual generally likes to maintain
around oneself is affected by a highly crowded environment.

There are four kinds of interpersonal distance:

• Intimate Distance is maintained up to 18 inches in the case of interaction that is private in nature or
when interacting with a close friend.
• Personal Distance is maintained between 18inches to 4 feet in work or social settings.
• Social Distance is maintained between 4 feet to 10 feet, and it is maintained in case of formal
interaction.
• Public Distance is maintained from 10 feet to infinity in a formal setting where many people are
present
NATURAL DISASTERS - They are defined as highly stressful experiences
which are a result of nature’s fury which implies imbalances in the natural
environment.
• Physical and cognitive reaction
• Warnings
• Safety Measures
• Treatment of Psychological Disorders
 Promoting Pro- Environmental Behaviour

01 02 03 04 05
Reducing air Managing Planting trees Saying no to Reducing the non-
and noise disposal of and ensuring plastics in any biodegradable
pollution. garbage their care form  packaging of
sensibly. consumer goods.
 1.Poverty and discrimination-

Poverty is said to exist when people lack

the means to satisfy their basic needs.
Psychology and
Social Concerns Discrimination is the practice of treating
one person or group of people less fairly or
less well than other people or groups.

Deprivation refers to a state in which a

person feels he/she has lost something
valuable and has got less as compared to
what they deserve.
Effects of poverty and deprivation are listed below:
 Poor have low aspiration and low achievement motivation and high need for dependence
 Poor exhibit resentment and hatred towards society.
 Poor people are high on anxiety and depression and low on self-esteem and self-efficacy.
 The poor are highly vulnerable to mental disorders and illnesses.

Major Causes of Poverty:

• The poor themselves are responsible for poverty
• Poverty can be defined as a belief system, way of life and mindset which keeps people
deprived of necessities
• Various Socio-Economic and Political factors lead to poverty
• The poverty cycle explains that poverty begets poverty.
Measures for poverty alleviation are:
• Providing educational and employment opportunities to the disadvantaged
sections of society and implementation of the principle of social justice.
• Measures for improving the mental health of poor people must be taken to
facilitate the overall well-being of poor people.
• Breaking the poverty cycle can help in the alleviation of poor people.
• Making poor people self-dependent and self-sufficient.
• Implementation of the concept of Antyodaya 
2. Aggression, Violence and Peace-

 Aggression is a behaviour by an individual or a group of individuals that is intended to

cause harm to others.
There are two types of aggression – Instrumental and Hostile
 Violence is forceful destructive behaviour towards another person or object 

Causes of Aggression –
 Inborn tendency
 Physiological mechanisms
 Child-rearing
 Frustration
  It was given by Dollar Miller
 This theory proposes that it is frustration that leads to
aggression.

Frustration –  An aggressive person is more likely to show aggression to

the weaker people who are not able to react, and this
Aggression process is called displacement
Situational factors that lead to aggression-
Theory  Learning
 Observing an aggressive model
 Availability of Weapons of aggression
How To Reduce Aggression And Violence?

Parents and teachers should not reward aggressive behaviour in any form.

Opportunities to observe and Imitate the behaviour of aggressive models should be

reduced drastically.

Instill a positive attitude towards peace.

Implementing social justice and equality in society may help in reducing frustration levels
and promote peace.
  Health refers to the state of complete emotional and
physical well-being.
 Factors associated with physical well-being are:
Cognitions
Behaviour
Social and cultural factors

HEALTH
 T.V is a powerful medium of instruction.

Watching television frequently may hinder the

children’s ability to concentrate on one target
Impact Of
Television On Watching violent and aggressive shows on television may
Behaviour instil aggression and negativity in the viewer whereas some
studies also suggest that it may lead to the catharsis that is
opening of all the suppressed emotions and thus, facilitating
emotional unburdening.

Watching too much television leads to the

development of a consumerist attitude.