Rethinking Space: Reflection on the Concept of “Psychological Space”
Just like the term culture, freedom, and love. The notion of “space” carries within itself a variety of meanings that could be interpreted in many ways. In this article, I am going to discuss this notion from a cultural and psychological lens. Shedding light on how the concept of space is in fact more complex than it is understood. I will discuss how “psychological space” is a melting pot of three main dimensions: place, time, and relations.
The term space has more than a single fixed definition. In a simple manner, Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions: DISTANCE, AREA, and VOLUME. Here, this definition views the concept from a physical angle, the same thing can be applied psychologically. In fact, one cannot exist without a “space” both physical and psychological. However, the physical and the psychological spaces manifest differently in the real world but they are strictly interconnected. For instance, in football, if a team loses in their own stadium it tends to be more humiliating even though the physical space is the same, and doesn’t really favor one side over the other. Some people argue that the crowd plays a role in the equation, which is true, and it does follow what we’re saying about space. The people who are playing in their (home) stadium, will have a psychological advantage, not necessarily because of the stadium (as a green field) but because it represents a story (the fans, the colors, the city, the memories, etc…). This psychological reaction is what creates a psychological space where the ones playing at their home stadium are favored to win the game. This example does not only apply to stadiums, it extends to concepts as well such as the Champions League, where Real Madrid plays every game with a psychological advantage. That said, a simplified definition of a psychological space is the room in which the human mind forms beliefs, ideas, stereotypes, and thoughts in a specific place and at a certain time. What I like about this definition is that it challenges the concept of “the order of things” and emphasizes that there is always a reason that explains our performances, actions, feelings, behaviors, moods, and so on. Thereby, this notion breaks down the effects of the physical space on our psychological space, and how they both can clash or/and influence one another in various forms. That is why, when you live in a clean space, your thoughts tend to be more organized as opposed to if you live in a messy one.
The other dimension of psychological space is relations. The latter has more of a cultural aspect since it differs from one culture to another, from individualistic mindsets to collective ones. It is really hard to bring or even take into consideration empirical data due to how many variables contribute to shaping and redefining one’s perception about life. What I can say nonetheless, is that the people around you continuously influence your psychological space, including yourself. A good example of that is when you love someone they automatically occupy all your psychological space. As long as they are taking part in that space, your perception of them will always be evolving and improving over time, hence influencing the way you see them in reality. There is a saying in my country that people say when they receive a compliment ” Your eyes”, which implies that “ it’s your eyes that see me like that”. Although people say it out of kindness, there is a large degree of truth in it. The same concept can be applied the other way around, when you hate someone, or when you end a relationship under terrible circumstances, you start seeing that person very differently than before within your psychological space, eventually distorting their image in the real space. Relations are not only related to people, they can also extend to animals, plants, games, and more. Cats for example signify serenity for their owners. However, they might represent a threat to those who fear them. It is all in their psychological space, which isn’t fixed.
The concept of “psychological space” requires more research since it relates to various phenomena such as behaviorism, mental illnesses, and many more. I felt the need to write about this after I saw how much a person can change your whole image of a certain place, as well as how thinking about them can bring you inner peace. What you do is very linked to when and where you do it, and sometimes, who you do it with. These dimensions shouldn’t be taken for granted, as they reshape your thoughts and feelings. Your “psychological space” is still your own space. As opposed to the physical space, your psychological space does not have any limits, and it can determine the way you perceive life, influencing all your choices and decisions.
Wissam Ali Bikourne, Master of Culture and Gender Student at Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra. 2024
