ENVIRONMENT - PSYCHOLOGY. OUTLINE OF A SYNTHESIS BASED ON ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM VIEW

The basic concept of environment is associated with various constructs and interpretations in psychology. However, these constructs and interpretations do not conclude in a coherent, theoretical system. In this theoretical paper the authoresses aim at a general analysis of the concept of environment, and the outlines of a synthesis, based on an ecological system view. As theoretical roots they review the concept of Umwelt by Jakov von Uexkull (1938), the transactionalism of Dewey and Bentley (1949), and some of the major representatives of ecological psychology in the history of psychology. They analyse the conceptual system of environmental psychology, and conclude by finding answers to the questions: what is environment and why it is important for psychology.