Environmenal_Psych

Environmental Psychology Paper Environmental stressors can have an acute effect on a person’s psychological state. There have been recent studies conducted regarding environmental stressors and aggression. This paper will focus on two specific environmental stressors which have been known to encourage aggressive behavior within penitentiaries. The two environmental stressors are crowding and noise. Studies show that these two environmental stressors within prisons promote aggressive behavior. The results of studies conducted by individuals within the field of environmental psychology are critical to local, state, and federal governments in aiding them to understand the psychological impact of prison overcrowding. The article reviewed, from the John Howard Society of Alberta, went into immense detail regarding the effects of overcrowding in correctional facilities in both Canada and the United States. The article focused on the negative impacts of the environmental stressors of overcrowding and noise and the individual impact they have on aggression and antisocial behavior among inmates. Spatial density and social density have been used to define crowding. Spatial density refers to the amount of space available to an individual such as a cell block size. The perception is unpleasant. Social density refers to the number of individuals occupying a specific amount of space such as a housing unit. Density is a physical concept while crowding is a subjective experience. The subjective perception of spatial constraint can have an aggression enhancing effect on individuals. The effects of crowding vary with social context. In the prison setting, crowded conditions can be chronic; people prone to anti social behavior are gathered. The absence of personal control, and idleness and boredom can be prevalent (Hopkins 1996). When overcrowding exists, there tends to be a competition for space and resources as there is less to go around. Therefore, an individual feels they have less control and insufficient personal space .When an individual is being denied resources or they are dramatically decreased, competition and conflict may appear which typically turns into increased aggression and the aggression often escalates to violence. Crowding can also exacerbate other conditions such as psychiatric issues and higher illness complaints. Crowding can create a stressful environment. Stress has been defined as a state that occurs when people are faced with demands from the environment which require them to change in some way (Veitch, Arkkelin, 1995). Social interactions and social relationships have been dramatically impacted by prison overcrowding. The overcrowding influences aggression as a result of the competition amongst the inmates for additional resources. Some inmates withdraw socially due to the overcrowding to avoid the aggressive interactions. Noise can intensify aggressive behavior. Unwanted sounds define what noise is. (Veitch, Arkkelin, 1995). Inmates that are already stressed by overcrowding may feel an increased amount of frustration when noise is also present. The noise caused by walking, talking, yelling, radios, and televisions is incessant in correctional institutions, as are hard floors such as tiled floors which reflect rather than absorb noise ( Hopkins 1996). Noise may trigger aggression when combined with stress of overcrowding. Because noise can often time be an uncontrollable event, studies have found that it facilitates aggression (Krahe, 2001). Noise serves to facilitate aggression. Any noise that interferes with effective communication can be seen as negatively influencing interpersonal behavior (Veitch, Arkkelin, 1995). If a guard is attempting to an individual in a cell block regarding his specific behavior while other inmates are screaming and causing a commotion, the situation becomes escalated when the noise continues to increase and the guard is unable to regain control and calmness within the cell unit. Noise can interfere with effective interpersonal communication, making it more likely that civil disruption will occur and the quality of life will be diminished (Veitch, Arkkelin, 1995). Research has shown that overcrowding can be tolerated in a short period but long term effects will have stress induced reactions leading to more aggressive behavior amongst the inmates. The impact of overcrowding coupled with noise, if not amended, will continue to have a negative impact on the interpersonal and social interactions as well as well as the physical wellness of inmates. If governmental agencies take heed to the studies and reports from environmental psychologists, they may find that the rate of recidivism decreases amongst parolees. Studies, reports, data, and trends from environmental psychologists can play an important role in aiding governmental agencies to modify their views and policies regarding correctional facilities.