The psychology of memorial sites: Space, design and visitor experience

Abstract

Memorials are key sites for the study of collective memory, shaping how societies remember, grieve, and engage with the past. This article reviews current psychological research on memorials from three interrelated perspectives: space, design, and visitor experience. First, it examines how memorials transform contested spaces across their life cycle—from spontaneous emergence to official establishment, re-signification, and removal. Second, it traces the historical shift from vertical, heroic monuments to minimalist, participatory counter-memorials that foster reflection and plural remembrance. Third, it explores methodological approaches—including ethnography, digital analysis, and mobile methods—that reveal how visitors actively interpret memorials through personal and sensory engagement. Together, these perspectives underscore the dynamic, affective, and political nature of memorials and highlight their relevance for understanding the social construction of memory. Memorials are not merely representations of the past, but material, symbolic, and experiential sites through which historical meaning is continuously produced and contested.