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UNIT 6RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

PSYCHOLOGY

Residential Setting – Home

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Definition of Home/Residence

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The home/residence is a primary environment of greatest importance.

It is a place where many important human needs are satisfied (e.g., eating, sleeping, loving, studying).

It is a place of maximum privacy, predictability, and control.

Congruence of physical design and ability to engage in important activities.

PRIVACY IN THE HOME

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Privacy is a critical feature of the home environment. In home environments many areas are off limits to

visitors - “privacy gradient”Rank order the following areas with regard to being

off-limits to strangers: your bedroom, family room, living room, kitchen,

entrance foyer, dining room, bathroom, home office, study room

Cross-cultural differences in which areas of the home are open v. s. off limits to various types of visitorsIn Peru & Poland the kitchen is very private. In US bedrooms (off limits, unless indicated by the

hosts)

Functions of the home

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  Encompasses many functions: leisure and recreation rest and sleep family interaction biological functions work symbolic expression and emotional attachment

Work And The Home: Changes In Space Needs

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The industrial revolution moved the function of work out of the home.

The computer revolution is placing work back into the home.

Dual income families have required changes in home design. Larger bathrooms and bedrooms to accommodate

both people getting ready for work at the same time. A “space for her” is added.

Symbolic expression and emotional attachment

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Home also provides a number of symbolic functions

Provides a sense of place and identity: Who am I? Sense of identity through

place What kind of person am I? (wealthy,

free spirit, modern, arty, etc.)

Home stereotypes

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What kind of person would be most likely to choose the following homes? Bungalow Semi-D Double Storey Terrace Single Storey Terrace Apartment Condominium

Based on Age Sex Socio-economic status Occupation Attitudes

Rootedness

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RootednessIndicator needs & satisfaction McAndrew: (1998). The measurement of rootedness and the prediction of attachment to home-towns in college students.

 Sentimental and emotional attachment to the home A person may be overwhelmed by emotion when as an adult they return to their

childhood home  

Types of attachment

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Two types of attachment: Generic Place Dependence - Generic attachment to a certain type

of environment or region Geographic Place Dependence - Attachment to a specific place

The Idea that there are individual differences in degree of attachment to places

Individuals with strong geographic place attachment may experience homesickness

attention focus on home related thinking and activity and desire to go back home

Development of a scale to measure rootedness. 16 items were tested on 134 college students. Two subscales

desire for change home and family satisfaction

Typology Of Residences (Altman)

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Permanent/temporary Differentiated/homogenous interiorCommunal/noncommunal living arrangementIdentity/communalityOpenness/closedness to outsiders

Differentiated/homogenous

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How differentiated/homogenous its interior is

Related to the functions of rooms A highly differentiated residence has many rooms

Each room has a specific activity A homogenous residence

almost any activity may occur in nearly any room.

Differentiation is a function of wealth

Communal/Non-communal

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Communal/non-communal of the living arrangements The degree to which nuclear families live together or in different homes

Identity/communality

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Identity/communality Is the residence distinctive from comparable ones around it?

Specific name given?Specific colours/identity that makes it distict from other houses

Openness/closedness

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Openness/closedness to outsiders is entry inviting or not residents are warm or cool to

casual visitors culturally related.

Type Of Residence

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Type of residence is related toCulture Stage in life cycle Socio-economic statusArchitectural design Personal characteristics of the dwellers

How can a residence/home be measured?

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Approach #1: Classify it on each of the five physical structure- and use-dimensions: How differentiated/homogenous is the interior How communal are the living arrangements

Approach #2: Financial What is the monetary value of the dwelling?

Approach #3: Such as in Advertisement Age Architectural style Size No of rooms

Approach #4: To measure the quality of a residence for a particular purpose. E.g., child development – the quality of a residence for children Scales usually measure both the physical environment of the residence

(e.g., its cleanliness, size, or form) and its social environment (e.g., positiveness of parents’ vocal tone, number of stories read).

Residential Preference, Choice, And Satisfaction

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Preferences are more predictable from:: Person’s values (personal factors) Physical form of the residence

(architectural factors) Economic factors

e.g., income and cost of the residence Distance

Factors influencing residential satisfaction

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Personal Social Physical Culture

Personal influences on housing satisfaction

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Personal influences on housing satisfaction depends on: Age and Stage of Life Socioeconomic Status Sex and Social Role Personality and Values Comparisons Dreams of the Future

Social Influences

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Neighbours Norms

Usual housing arrangements eg. For elderly people social norms for privacy and independence are important factors when they select a living arrangement

Priority of others: living-group interaction Negotiation before selecting/renting a house.

The shape of privacy, security, and social interaction: For privacy houses are more differentiated For security houses are smaller less territory

to defend and keep occupants closer together to aid in the defense of the house

For social interaction houses are designed to have greater visibility among their interior spaces and more rounded walls (socio-petal design)

Physical Influences

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Housing form Single-family dwelling residents were found

to be more satisfied than apartment residents.

Architectural style Follows fashion and culture.

Interior Height of ceiling Arrangement of rooms Color

Outdoor areas Space for gardening, nearby green spaces.

Cultural Influences

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Cultural Influences Italian Red-tile villas of suburbanites Portuguese the bright pastel

exteriors of houses Mid America white farmhouses Traditional Malacca decorative front

steps Minangkabau roof the shape of

buffalos horn Long houses in sarawak

Behavior of Residents

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Arrangement of spaces in the house People personalize their living spaces

Although the residences may look identical on the outside

It depends on personality, culture, and SES The spatial ecology of home

Who does what, Where? Women, Men, Children, and Territory

In the kitchen Fully employed women spent more time in the kitchen than fully employed men

In the living room, bathroom, and bedrooms women spent more time than men in the company of others – usually children Thus, women have less privacy at home

In living rooms, men spent more time than women engaged in leisure activities

Behavior of Residents

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Privacy conflictsCooperation-capitulation arrangements

Privacy conflicts

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Privacy conflicts may occur depending on Which activity a person is engaged inWhich parent or child desires accessThe size of the home,The accepted child-rearing practices in the home.

The privacy conflicts can be solved byTime territory strategies involve rotating a

particular space among family membersSpace territory strategies that place conflicting

activities in different parts of the home;

Cooperation-capitulation Arrangements

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Cooperation-capitulation arrangements occur when A dominant family member determines the

family activities that everyone will engage in one activity,

together, at the same time.

Residential Mobility

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A normal process often caused by life-cycle changes:Mobility due to illness Change of occupation/school Personal reasonsPersonal characteristicsSocial economic status Marriage status (eg. single parent)Culture

Residential Environmental Design

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Task of an Environmental Psychologist To upgrade the living environment Suggesting suitable designs

Residential Environmental DesignEg: Homes for Single-Parent Families

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On-site or nearby child care facilities so parents feel better about working

An open kitchen/living room area so parent can cook and watch their children at the same time

Separate areas for children and parentsClose proximity to public transportation

single parents often cannot afford carsClassroom space

a crucial part of escaping the poverty cycle is education

Indoor as well as outdoor play space