UTOPIA (thinking)

UTOPIA (Thinking)- TRAILER

Environmental psychology has long been interested in studying how people perceive and experience their environment and surroundings. Each Human's emotional perception of their environment is contingent on not only environmental characteristics but also on the individual's cognitive functions and consciousness. According to Carl Jung's definition of psychological functions in his book "Psychological Types," cognitive functions are distinct mental processes that exist within the psyche of every individual. This concept is a key pillar of support for his theory of personality types. In his book, he described four primary psychological functions: Thinking, Feeling, Sensation, and Intuition. UTOPIA is an experimental immersive virtual reality project comprising four environments representing Carl Jung's four primary psychological functions. We used Unreal Engine, a 3D computer graphics game engine, to design UTOPIA. Every individual could enter the UTOPIA and experience the four distinct virtual reality environments via a VR headset, each representing  Carl Jung's four primary cognitive functions. Each environment is designed based on specific physical features and meaning-related dimensions that correlate them with specified psychological functions. Experience with UTOPIA can elicit specific affective reactions for scientific, therapeutic, and recreational purposes.

Thinking: According to Jung, thinking is "that psychological function which, in accordance with its own laws, brings given presentations into conceptual connection." Jung said that the thinking function should be delegated solely to 'active thinking' in contrast to 'passive thinking.'  According to him, active thinking uses concepts to connect information, being considered judgment as a result. UTOPIA's thinking environment is a 3D cubic labyrinth consisting of tiny moving cubes. The users should reach the top of the 3D maze. A piece of music guides the users along the path.

Creators: Arefe Paydar, Ali Nakhaee, Amir Najimi 
Educator: Ali Andaji Garmaroodi, Pooria Baniadam