Essay on Territoriality in Humans

Territoriality according to environmental psychology is the need of the individuals or groups to control a space. This control implies privileges and may involve aggressive actions in its defence. It leaves its roots in peculiar to territoriality of animals and need to keep an individual distance for survival purposes. A measure of an individual distance is such a distance between individuals at which probability of that they will bear or attack against each other are equal.

The territoriality is partially kept in a human being. As the proof I can give an example of involuntary irritation in tight crowd, or feeling of discomfort at the absence of “the corner”. Besides, people who live in overcrowded conditions are more tend to high blood pressure, stresses, depression and other psychiatric diseases. That shows that сcrowding becomes stressful when it reduces one’s sense of personal control and freedom.

Territoriality of animal and the person, having the common healthy roots, has also the common biological sense. It is in ability to resist the expansion from other individuals or communities. The proof of that territoriality serves individuality is that inside the depersonalized communities the individuals are less aggressive.

Most scientists also believe that human territoriality differs from the animal territoriality as human behavior is learned and animal behavior is instinctive.

Territorial behavior of a person may be a part of rational strategies to pursue individual’s interests, such as physical security or control over resources.

This entails a strong tendency to form “(a) a homogeneous territory, by (b) externalizing the perceived threats to (c) the other side of a distinct boundary, facilitating (d) an organized fight against an external enemy.” (Jordan, 1998)

Also individuals use different methods to stake their territorial claims and to defend their territories. They create territorial boundaries, by way of walls, gates, and other forms of transition between one area of control and another. As John Habraken (2004), a revered architect and educator, has investigated the links between urban design and territoriality:

“Any human presence implies a territorial claim, and all human settlements involve the allocation of territory. We have an innate understanding and respect for territory. Territory can be expressed physically, as in walls or gates, or symbolically, as in signs or structures. We shape spaces to assert territorial claims and we tend to enlarge our territorial claim if possible.”

Bibliography:

• Jordan, T., (1998) The Uses of Territories in Conflicts: A psychological perspective An Interview with
• Habraken, J., (2004) Security and the Built Environment