Psychosocial Geographies, Inequality and Under-development
Type: Virtual Paper
Day: 3/1/2022
Start Time: 8:00 AM
End Time: 9:20 AM
Theme: Geographies of Access: Inclusion and Pathways
Sponsor Group(s):
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Organizer(s):
Aleem Mahabir
, Robert Kinlocke
,
,
Chairs(s):
Aleem Mahabir, University of the West Indies, Mona
; ,
Description:
Scholars from a wide array of disciplines have made compelling arguments for the utilization of psychological constructs as a discursive lens for exploring a myriad of issues contemporary society has to grapple with. Geography has traditionally acknowledged the vital role that psychological processes play in influencing spatial reasoning, decision making and behaviour (Montello, 2016); and psychologists have long recognized the importance of the environment for understanding psychological and behavioral processes. Indeed, past research in geography, political science, economics, and epidemiology has shown that the physical and social features of environments can influence the ways in which people think, feel, and behave (Rentfrow, 2013).
Over the past ten years, there has been a resurgence of work exploring the links between people's psychological characteristics and the features of the places in which they live. This nascent field, known as psychological or psychosocial geographies, aims to spatially represent subconscious phenomena that drive development and division at various scales, whether at the level of the individual, neighbourhood, nation-state or even world. It also aims to identify the mechanisms that can explain the spatial organization of psychological phenomena, and understand how individual characteristics, social entities, and physical features of the environment interact and contribute to their organization (Rentfrow and Jokela, 2016).
A wide range of factors can be subjected to geographical representation, including personality profiles, emotions and empathy, social trust, trauma exposure, biological markers (heart rate, breathing rate, etc) and disorders related to stress, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, etc. By exploring these wide-ranging biological, cognitive, and psychological constructs, this growing sub-field of geographical research can give policymakers concrete tools to understand the spatial dynamics of 'invisible' issues that strongly impact their communities. This can help to build a better picture of how infrastructural, settlement, demographic, or policy factors may interact with human psychology, biology, and social behavior to create under-development, division and unrest, especially among vulnerable populations or at-risk areas. Ultimately, this can aid the design of interventions that are informed by a deeper understanding of the unconscious and often overlooked factors that drive under-development.
The importance of this emerging subfield has been duly emphasized by the impositions of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the significant psychological and social effects it has had on the world population. Perhaps at no other time in contemporary human history has the world been collectively gripped by feelings of distress, despair, isolation and loneliness at such an unprecedented scale. Unfortunately, these abhorrently dismal psychosocial realities continue to afflict a huge portion of the global populace who remain hampered along multiple life spheres.
Presentation(s), if applicable
Michael White, Brown University; Migrant Selectivity and Grit |
Alexis Wood, ; State of Mind/State of Mine: California Secessionism, Facebook, and the Newsom Recall |
Loukia - Maria Fratsea, ; Depicting migrants’ social mobility and well-being in Greece |
Heng Cai, Texas A&M University; Community awareness and sentiment inequalities during Winter Storm Uri |
Aleem Mahabir, University of the West Indies - Mona; Alternative domains of injustice: Exploring hope(lessness) and psychosocial resilience among residents of an excluded urban community |
Non-Presenting Participants Agenda
Role | Participant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Psychosocial Geographies, Inequality and Under-development
Description
Virtual Paper
Contact the Primary Organizer
Aleem Mahabir - mahabiraleem@gmail.com