Simple Rental Flats is considered to be the best solution for the high residential space demand that is suitable for middle to the lower economic level community. However, the establishment of this residential type has negative impacts, both regarding its physical quality and the social interactions in it, including the impacts on the psychology of its residents.
Previous research shows the inadequate facilities caused the decline of daily productivity and activity of its residents. Moreover, the quality of the residential space that is not sufficient to fulfill the residents’ necessity has an impact on bad psychological development and it can also cause social conflict among the residents. This psychological well-being becomes the topic in Intan Rahmawati’s dissertation.
“This research aims to see the dynamics of psychology or housing well-being of the residents in simple rental flat in Yogyakarta using a research approach that consists of six stages, which are initial stage, diagnosis, action planning, taking action, evaluation, and reflection,” said Intan during open examination for doctoral programme at Faculty of Psychology UGM on Thursday (27/7).
Intan Rahmawati who is a lecturer at Psychology Department, Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, conducted her research in Dabag flats that become the local government pilot project. The place is considered to have a higher complexity than the others in Yogyakarta. In the diagnosis stage, according to Intan, it is known the sense of community and social control that exist in the dynamics of the interaction between individuals and their residential space involving cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes become the main problem in this flat.
“Integrity and social connection are the two things that require special concern in the dimension of the sense of community. Meanwhile, in social control, commitment and involvement need to be considered in order to make a living system balance there,” said Intan.
The result of the diagnosis becomes a foothold in the action research by doing psychoeducation on housing well-being in the form of group discussion that is given to 10 residents and 5 managers. From this stage, the residents reflect the housing well-being that requires harmony and order.
Based on this action research, Intan recommends the need for residential preparation in the vertical residential space that involves new residents, representatives of residents in the community, and managers.
“This is one of the efforts to face culture shock from living in a single house to vertical residential space for new residents,” she added.