We know that physical environment directly or indirectly affects our behavior.

For example, it has been observed that people become more irritable and aggressive

when the weather is hot and humid, in comparison to cold weather. You must have

read in the daily newspapers about the increase in ?road rage? cases during the

summer months. Our interest in such environmental variables has led to the

development of a field known as Environmental Psychology.

Environment is a theme relevant to many other disciplines, such as geography,

architecture, urban planning, etc. It is indeed multidisciplinary in nature. It is labeled

as Environmental Science.

The human-environment interaction has five major components. These components

are briefly described below:

 

1. Physical Environment: It includes aspect of natural environment such as

climate, terrain, temperature, rainfall, flora, fauna, etc.

 

2. Social –Cultural Environment: It includes all aspects of cultural environment

such as norms, customs, process of socialization, etc. It include all the aspects

dealing with other people and their creations.

 

3. Environmental Orientations: It refers to the beliefs that people hold about their environment. For example, some people hold environment equivalent to

God and therefore they perceive all its aspects with respect and reverence

and try to maintain it in a perfect form and do not degrade it.

 

4. Environmental Behaviour: It refers to the use of environment by people in

the course of social interactions. For example, considering the environment as

personal space, where the individual identifies himself with it.

 

5. Products of Behaviour: These include the outcomes of people?s actions

such as homes, cities, dams, schools, etc. That is, these are products or

outcomes dealing with the environment.

 

All the above aspects of environment depict the important constituents of the

study of interaction between environment and the human beings. It is very important

to understand that human beings are part of the environment and degrading

environment will result in extinction of human beings and other forms of life.

Therefore, it is the prime responsibility of human beings to maintain the environment

in trim condition, its destruction means destruction of human life.

                              

 

 

 

                         ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON HUMAN

BEHAVIOUR

 

We have earlier discussed that environment affects human behaviour and human

 

 

behaviour affects environment, the two interact. Environment has both nourishing

as well as destructive effects on human beings.

Throughout human history, people have been threatened by floods, earthquakes,

and other natural disasters. Inspite of enormous scientific development, we have

not been able to control the effect of natural calamities and we have not been able

to control natural disasters either. In recent times, technological innovations and

advances have brought us new potential threats from the environment, which are

man made. These threats are physically harmful and stressful. People have to

cope with these stressors. Such man made environmental stressors are many.

These stressor are called pollutants and basically there are four: air pollution, water

pollution, noise pollution and Crowding

As indicated earlier human activities also affect the environment. In fact, almost

every human being adds, through his activities, some effect that contributes cumul

actively and negatively to the environment we live in. Whenever, some one drives

a scooter, motor cycle or car, uses hair spray, cooks food, etc. the environment is

affected. We do not perceive the role our simple activities play in degrading our

environment. Imagine that billions of people living on our planet in some way or

the other affect the environment and the cumulative effect is tremendous. The

effect of human activity (e.g. polluting air) is long-term and irreversible and will

affect the lives of generations that were follow.

Fortunately, after playing havoc with our environment, people all over the world

have become conscious of this disaster that the mankind has already made. Now,

the efforts are being made to somehow control the onslaughts of the disaster.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

 

As stated earlier, the United Nations is working seriously to control the harmful

activities of people affecting our environment around the world. Environment is a

naturally given capital having certain limits and we have to learn to use the resources

judiciously. Air, water, food, fuel, etc. are all gifts of this environment to the human

kind and we have to learn to judiciously use and conserve them. We have to pay

greater attention to conserve water and air. Disposal of waste material we produce,

ranging from sewage to garbage needs special attentions