Man has always been and remains a social being, and it is absolutely impossible to live in this world without communication with other people around him (we do not consider individual cases of asceticism and “renunciation of the world,” which are the exception rather than the norm). However, each of us has a very special and carefully guarded personal physical space. Depending on the comfort of the relationship, we can increase it with some people and decrease it with others.
Spatial relationships between people are a topic that has been of interest to psychologists around the world for a very long time. A separate area of psychological science, proxemics, is even devoted to the study of these relationships. In this article we will tell you what it is, what it studies in the context of psychology, what features it has, and how knowledge about it is useful for any of us.
The emergence of proxemics
The author of the term “proxemics” is Edward Hall, an American psychologist and anthropologist. The scientist noticed that each person has his own personal space, which he unconsciously tries to organize in a way that is comfortable for himself. In 1969, E. Hall wrote a book called “The Silent Language,” in which he described the characteristics of relationships between people, expressed in varying distances between interlocutors. Here, for the first time, the definition of the concept of “proxemics” in psychology was given: this is a type of nonverbal communication characterized by the distance between communicating people.
Individual characteristics
Although the concept of proxemics implies a certain distance, which is expressed in specific numbers, these indicators can be considered more conventional than a specific guideline in the communication process. If you observe several people selectively, it will be noticeable that one is able to easily let other interlocutors approach him, while the other keeps everyone at a distance, although the topic of conversation and the status of the interlocutors are the same in both situations. This is due to the characteristics of each individual; This is influenced by others, family, upbringing and other factors.
Communication between people is rarely reflected in such indicators as nationality and race, as well as the cultural characteristics of the interlocutor. Even hostility between people is more often expressed through verbal communication and gestures than by distance between interlocutors.
Types of distances during communication
Depending on the proximity of the relationship and the size of personal space, when communicating with each other, people unconsciously choose different distances between themselves and the interlocutor. Proxemics as a means of communication describes 4 types of distance.
intimate
Intimate distance is inherent in communication in which people are quite close to each other. These could be, for example, lovers, close friends, relatives, children and parents. A distance between people of 15 to 45 centimeters is considered intimate. In some cultures, a distance of up to 60 cm is considered intimate, while in others it is equal to the length of the arm from the tips of the fingers to the elbow.
In the intimate area, it is most convenient to communicate using body language, facial expressions, touches and gestures. When the intimate zone of people who are not close to you is invaded, a subconscious desire arises to move away from the interlocutor.
People who have problems with socialization do not like to be in large crowds of people, where contact and constant violations of the usual distance are inevitable. Such people often try to increase their personal space by any means: buying out neighboring seats in cinemas and transport, placing things around them that do not allow anyone to come closer than the person is comfortable.
An individual with a tendency toward aggression also tries to increase his intimate zone, but does this by reducing the personal field of his interlocutor. Such people approach excessively, spread their legs wide, wave their arms, and try to hover over the person they are talking to. There is an assumption that aggressiveness is a consequence of the fact that a person is endowed with a wide intimate space and perceives intrusion into it as a danger.
Knowing the laws of proxemics, you can identify the attitude of others towards you. To do this, you just need to carefully observe the distance they try to maintain. The closer they are physically, the closer they will be mentally. If there is a clear desire to distance oneself, a person is most likely not ready to communicate openly.
Personal
Personal distance is typical for business and friendly communication, its size is from 0.5 to 1.2 meters. At this distance, people communicate with business partners, friends, colleagues and not too close relatives.
People's personal space may vary depending on their type of nervous activity, age, gender and character. Sanguine and choleric people tend to shorten the distance with the interlocutor, melancholic and phlegmatic people tend to stay a little further from those with whom they are talking. People who feel defenseless, such as children and the elderly, try to be closer to the interlocutor. More independent and confident individuals respect the personal boundaries of others and do not get too close. The distance between women is often shorter than between men or representatives of different sexes.
Social
Social distance is 1.2–3.7 meters. This distance is usually maintained when communicating between strangers and business partners who are distant in status.
Public
This is a distance intended for public speaking. Its size depends on the size of the room in which the speaker is located. In small audiences this can be 3.5–7.5 meters, at large events - at a concert or in a theater, the distance between the speaker and the audience can be more than 7.5 meters. Communication at such a distance does not imply personal acquaintance of the interlocutors with each other; usually only the one who is going to speak introduces himself.
What are the consequences of violating personal space?
Any adult quite often needs periods of solitude, the opportunity to be alone with himself in order to switch gears and relax. Therefore, people begin to experience stress when they are in society for a long time. This is called crowding.
Crowding (English: crowd) is a special term used to describe stress caused by a subjective feeling of lack of space, i.e., that there are more people around than one would like.
It turns out that thanks to where we live, socialization, and work, we often find ourselves in situations in which we may feel discomfort due to lack of space. For example, in public transport, in an elevator, places where you have to be at close range with strangers. Every day strangers invade our intimate area, which causes emotional and muscular tension and irritation. However, it happens that someone experiences crowding, even if there is only one other person in a large office. Some people may start to feel “stressed” only in a crowd, while others may only start to feel stressed in a double hotel room.
It turns out that crowding is also a reflection of personal qualities (uncertainty, fearfulness) and individual experience. For example, there is a person who, since childhood, has no experience of being together, living with other people, he has never been to a children's camp, a sanatorium, or attended classes; his environment was very limited. When such an individual gets into a large flow of people, he gets lost and crowding appears.
Spatial arrangement
If we talk about the spatial positions of people, then one example of proxemics can be the arrangement of people at the table. Experts distinguish 4 types of positions of interlocutors at the table relative to each other:
- Angular. People sit on both sides of one corner of the table, separated only by its diagonal. This is how close people usually communicate - relatives, spouses, close friends. This position allows them to communicate using not only speech, but also sign language and touch. Sitting in this position, people feel comfortable, but unlike other positions, they do not geographically divide the table into “their” and “their” parts.
- Business. This position is on one side of the table. With this position, it is convenient for partners to discuss business issues and study documents. In addition, this arrangement allows the relationship to be quite trusting in business terms.
- Competitive and defensive. This is a position where the interlocutors sit opposite each other on opposite sides of the table. It is considered classic in business negotiations and in the case when there is a conversation between people who need to agree on something on which they have opposing points of view.
- Independent. This is an arrangement that demonstrates people's disinterest in communicating with each other. This position is taken, for example, by people who sit down on a bench in a park or in a cafe at a table with a stranger. They try to be as far away from each other as possible, trying to demonstrate their independence from whoever is nearby.
Features of crowding
When studying crowding, we took into account not only the significance of space for a particular person, but also the type of interaction between people. Alternatively, a situation may occur between strangers when a person looks threatening or when an accidental collision occurs. Although a person experiences stress, it will be of different types. In the first case it will be fear, and in the second it will be more likely indignation. And the likelihood of a negative impact on the human psyche will be much greater in the first case.
Personal zones in different cultures
A large number of scientists have been studying the characteristics of different cultures; E. Hall also considered this issue. He observed, among other things, the proxemics of different peoples. Here are some of the conclusions he came to:
- Japanese residents are most sensitive to distances between people and other objects;
- representatives of Europe and North America try to clearly divide the space of the premises with skirting boards and edgings, and place furniture only along the walls;
- residents of China and Japan prefer rooms with sliding walls to be able to increase or decrease the size of the space depending on the purpose of communication and the situation;
- the Japanese perceive the touching of their interlocutors to each other as a sign of disrespect, and the Arabs - as a sign of sympathy;
- Brazilians like to communicate over short distances, so they make Americans feel uncomfortable, who often strive for wider personal boundaries;
- Russians prefer a shorter social distance between interlocutors than Americans, but a longer distance than Latin Americans.
Crowding
The concept of “crowding” directly relates to proxemics. The fact is that such a pretentious word defines the lack of space from the point of view of the person himself. This concept can characterize a situation when a person believes that too many people are crowded around him.
The subjectivity of what is happening is emphasized, because one person can feel normal among hundreds of people, while another literally panics when five people approach him closely. This term usually refers not to the lack of space itself, but to the stress that a person may experience.
external reference
- Proxemics and body language in business
- Bodily communication - kinesthetic, proxemic - Antonio Muñoz Carrion (UCM).
- Preferred Interpersonal Distances: A Global Comparison
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- Multimedia: Proxemics
See also:
- "Huntress", "envious" or "queen". What type is your best friend? →
- Life or passion. How to maintain relationships in a “modern marriage”? →
- Is it possible to become lucky? Psychologists say: you can! →
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25. Zones and levels of communication
Proxemics studies the location of people in space when communicating and identifies the following zones of distance in human contact:
1) intimate area (15–45 cm); Only close, well-known people are allowed into this zone; this zone is characterized by trust, a quiet voice in communication, tactile contact, and touching. Research shows that violation of the intimate zone entails certain changes in the body: increased heart rate, rush of blood to the head, etc. Premature invasion of the intimate zone is perceived as an attack on integrity;
2) personal or personal zone (45-120 cm) for
casual conversation with friends and colleagues involves only visual eye contact between partners maintaining a conversation;
3) the social zone (120–400 cm) is usually observed during official meetings in offices, teaching and other office premises, as a rule, with those who are not well known;
4) public zone (over 400 cm) implies communication with a large group of people - in a lecture hall, at a rally, etc.
Based on the content and conditions, the levels of communication are considered. Psychologists distinguish three levels of communication:
1) first level (macro level). In this case, communication is considered as the most important aspect of a person’s lifestyle, which considers the prevailing content, the circle of people with whom she mainly contacts, the established style of communication and other parameters. All this is determined by social relations, the social conditions of the individual’s life. In addition, when considering this level, one should take into account what rules, traditions and accepted norms the person adheres to. The time interval of such communication is the entire previous and future life of the individual;
2) second level (mesa level). Communication at this level involves contacts on a specific topic. Moreover, the implementation of the topic can be carried out with one person or group, can end in one session or may require several meetings and acts of communication. As a rule, a person has several themes that he implements sequentially or in parallel. In both cases, communication partners can be individuals or groups;
3) third level (micro level). It involves an act of communication in the role of a kind of elementary particle (unit). Such an act of communication can be considered a question-answer, a handshake, a meaningful look, a facial movement in response, etc. Through elementary units, themes are realized that make up the entire system of communication of an individual at a certain period of his life.
This text is an introductory fragment.
Sources used:
- https://constructorus.ru/samorazvitie/proksemika.html
- https://zdorove-gu.ru/zdorove/zona-obshcheniya.html
- https://mayasakura.ru/kopilka-sekretov/distantsiyayi
- https://aif.ru/health/psychologic/38483
- https://psy.wikireading.ru/11418
Bibliography
- Hall, E. T. (1959).
Silent Language . Nueva York: Doubleday y Co. - Knapp, M. L. (1980).
Nonverbal communication. Body and Environment . Barcelona: Paidos, 1992. - Hall, E. T. (1959).
Hidden Dimension . Nueva York: Doubleday y Co., 1966. - The Fourth Dimension in Architecture: The Impact of Building on Behavior
(1975, co-author with Mildred Reed Hall) - The Dance of Life: Another Dimension of Time
. 1983 - Handbook of Proxemic Research
. 124 pp. 1974 - Hidden Differences: Doing Business with the Japanese
. 192 pp. ISBN 0385238843 1990 - The Anthropology of Everyday Life: An Autobiography
. 1992, Doubleday, New York - Understanding Cultural Differences - Germans, French and Americans
. 1993, Yarmouth, Maine - West of the thirties.
Discoveries among the Navajo and Hopi . 1994, Doubleday, New York - Poyatos, F. (1994).
Nonverbal Communication I. Culture, Language and Communication . Madrid: Isthmus
References
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m
Schmidt, Sarah (2013).
"Proxemics and Intercultural Communication". Autonomous University of Barcelona
. - ↑ a b
“Proxemics: the use and perception of social and personal space” (undefined).
Egolandic seduction
. December 12, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2022. - ↑ a b
Hall, E. T. (1959). Silent language. Nueva York: Doubleday y Co - ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l
Hall, Edward T. (1973).
Institutes for the Study of Local Government, ed. Hidden dimension.
An anthropological approach to the use of space . Madrid: New Urbanism.
