Environnement, Risques & Santé
MENUSick building syndrome or psychogenic syndrome ? Rationality versus beliefs Volume 9, issue 5, Septembre-Octobre 2010
- Key words: communication, environment, environmental stress, perception, psychology, social
- DOI : 10.1684/ers.2010.0383
- Page(s) : 401-7
- Published in: 2010
The aim of this article is to propose some research hypotheses for studying the psychogenic syndrome as a scientific object in the field of social and environmental psychology. The definition of the sick building syndrome expresses the methodological problems and interrogations that it raises. The causes of these epidemics remain unexplained, and the only stable criterion is the systematic association of the symptoms with the presence of people in the building. This lack of understanding explains the absence of tools for preventing and managing these crises. We propose a methodology based on social and environmental psychology and intended to analyse: i) processes of representation and perception of the environment; ii) communication systems that develop during the event; and iii) social dynamics and environmental stress.