The distance maintained between two agents during an interaction, known as proxemics, is a fundamental aspect of social interaction. Proxemics was first described by anthropologist Edward Hall, who characterized the changes in social behavior between humans as a function of physical distance (Hall, 1966). Hall described the different distances individuals naturally maintained between each other, factors affecting interpersonal distancing, and differences in distancing behavior across cultures using four proximity zones: Intimate space, Personal space, Social space, and Public space. Argyle (2013) then refined each zone into their currently accepted ranges (shown in Fig. 1) and provided qualitative characterizations of how people modulated their
The next few observations involve his interactions with Person B. Person A was consistently reaching across the table and holding Person B’s hand. Whenever possible, he was touching Person B in some way—whether holding her hand or rubbing her arm. Another observation was his use of personal space. Upon walking to the table, Person A had his arm around Person B and was holding Person B close. There was no personal space needed for Person A in this instance. A fourth o...
Gerontology provides different perspectives of the aging process and the evidence base from which health and social care practice with the older population is founded. Older people are affected differently by the ageing process. The disengagement theory provides a greater insight into why some older people withdraw from the society. According to the disengagement theory perspective, successful ageing is best achieved through abandoning social roles and relationships and by the individual reducing both activities and involvement. Disengaging from social activities and involvement put the older person at risk of being socially excluded. Social exclusion affects older people, although the risk increases with
Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prolific writer, weaving some of the best-known stories in American literature. While Hawthorne’s works tend to focus around the Puritan themes of sin, he was usually critical of Puritan ideals. Some of Hawthorne’s works (“Young Goodman Brown”, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, and The Scarlet Letter) have characters living life outside of their Puritan communities and can be classified as outsider narratives. Young Goodman Brown, Reverend Hooper, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynne are all outsiders in their communities, but what makes the characters unique is that they chose to be outsiders.
The article “Face Engagements” by Erving Goffman discusses in depth the factors of how individuals in today’s society associate with each other through the use of non-verbal communication, the use of eye contact, as well as social cues. Goffman firstly discusses Social Inattention, which is “when a person might stare openly at others and express to then what they feel about what they are seeing with the use of only their eyes (355). Another important way to socially network is through the use of Face Engagement, which is also referred to as encounter. Goffman explains this as “when two or more individuals are in a situation where they may be focused on each other attentively and they may verbally communicate, but it may also be gestures that
There are two important areas in this research- territoriality and use of personal space, all while each have an important bearing on the kinds of messages we send as we use space. Standing at least three feet apart from someone is a norm for personal space.
According to Hall, the way space is used in interaction is very much a cultural matter. In different cultures various senses assume importance. For example, as in United States, sight and hearing predominate; in other cultures, such as Arab states, smell is also important. In any cases, a necessary relation is present between the use of senses in interaction and interpersonal distances. Proxemics relations vary too because the definitions of the self are different, for these reasons, the people of a particular culture arrange their space in certain ways.
As we humans go through out life, we are forced to interact in a world full of people. We quite often speak and do business with complete strangers and don’t give a second thought about what they did or said in that exchange of pleasantries. There are many stories such as Merimee’s Mateo Falcone, Street’s Grains of Paradise, and Tunis’s His Enemy, His Friend that focus on these brief encounters and how it can affect one’s feelings, thoughts, and ultimately actions. I believe that short and concise interactions with complete strangers can affect how a person thinks and acts.
This evident course of action leads to what social scientist call the ¡§kitchen sink fight¡¨ . This is when the couples fight is not focused on the situation at hand but rather tainted by issues and situations that may be years old. This kind of fighting rarely, if at all leads to the resolution of the situation at hand or those brought up which occurred prior to this one.
Spacial relations is a complex subject that can be interpreted in many different ways. A clear explanation of spatial relations is easily understood with the study of proxemics. So what is proxemics? Well the term proxemics came from E.T. Hall, a researcher in 1963. Proxemics is the study of the nature, degree, and effect of the spatial separation individuals naturally maintain (as in various social and interpersonal situations) and of how this separation relates to environmental and cultural factors. Proxemics is made up of featured spaces: fixed space, semi-fixed, and informal.
Fundamentally, all human being’s capabilities and performance reflect a complex collaboration of biological and social-environmental factors. In fact, unique environments that are “nurtured” in one’s life can greatly influence the “nature” of basic biological processes. Such is the case with personal space. Even though human beings have a “natural” need to interact through human contact, the social-environmental factors in a human being’s culture dictate how much personal space is acceptable. Thus, it isn’t nature alone that determines what exact distance is comfortable between human beings during conversations.
In interpersonal communication there are many theories that are similar yet different in many ways. The theories can be combined to describe people and how those people interact and communicate with each other. Many of these theories help explain how people in society form impressions of others, how they maintain these impressions, why people interact with certain people in society, and how people will use these impressions that they have formed later on in life. These theories also help people to better understand themselves, to better understand interpersonal communication, and to better understand people in general. There are two theories in interpersonal communication that, despite their differences, can go hand in hand. The first is interaction adaptation theory and the second is emotional contagion theory. These two theories’ similarities and differences and their relevance to my everyday life will be discussed in this paper. These two theories are very important in understanding how people interact with others and why people do the things they do sometimes.
The evolution of man and of its inventions plays an important role in man interaction. It is thus complicated to advance intellectually and communally while being disconnected from the surroundings. Promoting seclusion of a
Usually while communicating we do not give space ( proxemics ) much thought. But proxemics is a very important aspect of non-verbal communication. I am a very affectionate person and I hug people a lot. It is my portrayal of affection. Though my manner of hugging is different, as it is according to my comfort level with that person. This is because there are different level of appropriate space, depending on your relationship with the person you are communicating with. I give side-way hugs to people I know but aren’t that close to. This type of hug would be considered in information and business distance. Another type of hugs I give are back rub hugs. I usually give back rub hugs to those whom I am comfortable with, making these type of hugs to be casual conversation distance. My much more intimate hug, where I snuggle into another person would be considered to be in intimate distance. Every type of my hugs are categorized in different space levels. These space levels are important because it affects the receiver influence on the message my hugs give. The receiver is going to interpret the message my hugs give through these space. Though not everyone define proxemics the same way due to cultural gap. Every culture defines appropriate space while communicating differently. Sometimes it creates misunderstanding between receiver and sender due to misinterpretation
Humans are surprisingly very territorial. Getting angry when their seat is “taken”, or when someone enters their room without knocking shows how much humans value personal space. For most people, the preferred bubble of space would be two feet or more, depending on if one is in public, or with a friend. It is considered a social norm to keep a distance away from strangers to avoid awkwardness and to avoid posing a threat. This idea is reflected all around the world: you see it on TV, and in the public. Society just tends not to notice its distinction because it is the “norm” to respect personal space. There are, however, a select few that are more social and are more intimate than normal who are willing to break the boundaries. As people encounter
Relationships with the individuals around us are key to ones social existence. Personal accounts by people who have been isolated from the outside world serve as a reminder of our dependence on others. What draws us into these "relationships"? Studies of interpersonal attraction have concluded that people are attracted mostly to those that they find physically attractive and who are geographically close.