Environmental Press Theory

M. Powell Lawton
(b. 1923- d. 2001)
Source: http://www.proqolid.org/proqolid/instruments/philadelphia_geriatric_center_morale_scale_pgc_morale_scale?private=yes&fromSearch=


Summary:
Over the past century, emphases on person and environment aspect of human behavior have been developed by social scientists. Among them, the psychologist Kurt Lewin developed the “ecological equation” which is B= f (P, E). That is, behavior is a a function of the person and environment. Based on the ecological equation, Lawton and Nahemow (1973) found that a graphic schema is convenient to illustrate relationship between person and environment (see Fig. 1).


In the model, “competence” is ability within a person such as physical or mental health, intellectual capacity or ego strength. The range of competency is from low to high. Poor physical health, age-related sensory losses, mental health problem and so on result in lowered competency. “Environmental Press” is a limiting aspect of environment and leads to a behavior-activating response for some individuals. The strength of press is varied in positive, neutral or negative ways.


The shaded areas in Figure 1 are adaptation levels that are given by competence reacting to environmental press. This is obtained by everyday activities without awareness of the environment. However, it is possible that there are maladaptive behaviors or negative emotional states, if an individual is exposed to a high level of press. For example, if a woman is a wheelchair user, her competence is low so a kitchen designed for able-bodied people causes high pressure. To adapt her environment, she needs to modify her kitchen. If not, the environment leads her to maladaptation and the kitchen environment will change her behavioral patterns such as eating habits. To be more specific, she prefers to eat already cooked food such as donuts or hamburgers rather than food prepared by herself due to the environmental press of her kitchen.


If an individual is exposed to a low level of press, it causes a feeling of boredom, lassitude, deprivation, and a low demand to master the normal environment. Moreover, when someone is exposed to a low level of environmental press, their competence level will decrease. Thus, a limited level of press within any given adaptation level is required to maintain comparatively healthy status.




Application:
The elderly are more likely to have low competence for their environment so they need to increase their competence by adjusting the environment to adapt their level of competence according to Press-competence model. The characteristics of accommodating environment are the following. First, less severe environmental press is needed compared to the environment of original tenants. Second, mental and physical health starts to necessitate higher-intensity services; congregate meals, house-keeping services or on-site medical services might be needed. Last, spatial and structural demands increase for additional services such as wheelchair use or modification of bathroom.


As mentioned above, the Press-Competence Model can be applied to meet the needs of residents for their environment in both congregate housing and housing for independent living. To be more specific, congregate meals, house-keeping services or on-site medical services will be provide for residents with low competence level in congregate housing. In the aspects of housing for independent living, home modification will be offered to meet the needs of the elderly to age in place through reducing environmental press. According to Lawton (1082), the most common home modification examples to help the elderly age in place are the following: grab bars and shower seats (22.9%), wheelchair accessibility within the home (9%), railing (7.8%), and ramps at street level (5%). The majority of the elderly felt that home modifications mentioned above would help them to stay at home for a long time.


References:
Lawton, M. P. (1977). An ecological theory of aging applied to elderly housing. Environment and Aging, 31(1), 8-10.
Lawton, M. P. (1982). Competence, environmental press, and the adaptation of older people. In P.G. Windley & T.O. Byerts (Eds.), Aging and the Environment : Theoretical Approaches (pp.33- 59). New York: Springer.
Lawton, M.P. (1989). Three functions of the residential environment. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 5 (1), 35-50.
Lawton, M.P. & Nehamow, L. (1973). An ecological theory of adaptive behavior and aging. In C. Eisdorfer & M.P. Lawton (Eds.), The Psychology of Adult Development and Aging (pp. 657-667). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Pynoos, J., Nishita, C. & Perelman, L. (2003). Advancements in the home modification field: A tribute to M. Powell Lawton. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 17(1/2), 105-116.

Regnier, V. (2003). Powell Lawton’s contributions to purpose-built housing design for the elderly. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 17(1/2), 39-53.