Proxemics and Physical Space

Proxemics

• Proxemics is the study of how people use physical space to communicate messages.
• This concept was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in the 1960s.
• It is based on studies of animal behavior from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Similar to how animals use urine or posturing to claim territory, people use personal space and objects to establish their own.
• Proxemics is one of five non-verbal communication theories, including semiotics (sign language), kinesics (body language), haptics (touch), and chronemics (time).

Proxemic Distances

• There are four types of distances people usually keep:
  • Intimate (0 to 18 inches)
  • Personal (18 inches to 4 feet)
  • Social (4 to 10 feet)
  • Public (over 10 feet)
• These distances are usually chosen deliberately by individuals.
• Forced closeness is not considered in proxemics.
• Proxemic behavior is learned largely by observing others, which explains why personal space and physical contact vary across cultures.
• Physical distance between communicators reflects the type of relationship. Body angles, touch, and eye contact reveal familiarity.
• In the United States, people use these four distances when communicating face-to-face.

Proxemic Distances and Examples

• Public Distance is used for public speaking or calling across a room.
• Social Distance is used for most business transactions.
• Personal Distance is for talking to family and close friends.
• Intimate Distance is used for very confidential communications.

Application of Proxemics

• Communication: Proxemics helps understand how cultures maintain distances based on relationships and what constitutes "normal" distance.
• Architecture: Proxemics informs the design of spaces, allowing architects to imagine the effects of distance and volume in various spaces using their own experiences.
• Film Analysis: Decreasing the distance between the camera and an actor enhances audience emotional connection to that character.
• Business: Increasing face-to-face interactions within a business can strengthen corporate culture.
• Communication Technology: People naturally prefer technology that simulates real-world proximity; the more the perceived proximity, the more effective a communication technology is.

Territoriality

• Territoriality involves the visible and invisible boundaries people create to define their space, at work or socially.
• This can be seen in different office layouts (e.g., closed-door offices in Germany versus open-plan offices in Japan or China).
• Senior employees often have offices in higher-level floors in some cultures.
• Territoriality also includes our own personal space (the "space bubble"), an extension of our body that we claim as our own. Humans are inherently territorial and tend to define and protect their space.

Key Concepts

• High (polychronic) cultural dimensions: shared time, indirect communication, group rewards, emotions openly expressed, hidden networks, and rituals, avoiding confrontation, hierarchical or authoritarian status and power.
• Low (monochronic) cultural dimensions: private time, direct communication, individual rewards, concealed emotions, open systems, written codes, confrontation, and democratic status and power.