The Philosophy of Perceiving the Human Environment from the Perspective of Environmental Social Psychology and Environmental Sociology (Implications for Sustainable Environmental and Health Security)

Abstract

Environmental issues constitute more and more eagerly undertaken scientific issues. It is probably due to the contemporary situation, in which the threats to the environment inhabited by people are increasing. Importantly, the problems of this type are not only examined within the framework of environmental or ecological sciences but also the social sciences and humanities. There is nothing strange about it; after all, the society in which a person lives is a crucial element of the human environment. Every person’s life takes place in a particular environment, the state of which affects people, their psychophysical health and well-being, the fulfillment of life necessities, behavior, and functioning in society. Such issues are discussed within the framework of environmental social psychology and environmental sociology. This article is devoted precisely to these disciplines. The publication briefly presents the essence of these environmental social sciences (starting from the characteristics of environmental social psychology, and then moving to environmental sociology). However, their essence was shown from the perspective of a specific, concise philosophy (vision) of perceiving the human environment that can be found in these social sciences. The human environment can be understood in various ways, not necessarily coinciding with what is considered the environment in natural sciences. This vision of perception of the human environment in the publication is a useful criterion for the interpretation and division of these disciplines into two basic variants – traditional (typical humanistic and social, currently applicable) and postulated model (socio-natural). It is also able to guarantee sustainable environmental (ecological and health) security.