Application of the gestalt here-and-now principle to the research of international migration from the perspective of behavioural geography
Abstract
Although the psychological perspective is indispensable in the study of (micro) spatial behaviour, the application of psychological knowledge in geographical research is rather rare. The aim of this paper is to bring psychology closer to geography and underline the advantages of mutual cooperation of these two scientific disciplines.
The paper brings to light possibilities of application of the here-and-now principle of the gestalt approach in geographical quantitative research into migration and adaptation tendencies, factors of motivation and decision making. This geographical theoretical basis stems from Peter Gould's concept of mental maps of spatial preferences and mechanisms of mental mapping on both the individual and collective levels.