RELATED TERMS: Psychology
The domain of psychology most relevant to the design of narrative environments is environmental psychology, which is a relatively new branch of psychology. Its key objective is to improve the relationship between humankind and the environment using theory, research and practice.
Among the major theories in environmental psychology are geographical determinism, which believes that environmental pararmeters, such as climate, topography, vegetation and water availability, are the foundation and lifespan of civilizations; ecological biology, which focuses on the biological and sociological interconnectedness and interdependencies between the organism and its environment; behaviorism, according to which our responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions; and Gestalt psychology, which argues that our minds perceive objects as part of a greater whole and as elements of more complex systems.
The sub-discipline of ecopsychology views human well-being as being integrally dependent on environmental well-being, with an emphasis on environmental justice.
References
Zafar, S. (2020) Environmental Psychology: Key to Understanding Human-Nature Relationship. EcoMENA. Available at https://www.ecomena.org/environmental-psychology/ [Accesed 18 March 2021]