Scribd
Upload
95 views

Space: Submitted By: Hitesh Verma Yashesh Dharia

The document discusses interpersonal space and the four zones of social distance between people in various contexts. The intimate zone is within 1.5 feet for close relationships. The personal zone is 1.5-4 feet for conversations. The social zone is 4-12 feet for groups and acquaintances. The public zone is over 12 feet, such as when walking in public. Cultural differences exist but maintaining personal space control affects social comfort. Proxemics research also examined fixed, semi-fixed, and informal personal spaces.

Uploaded by

Hitesh Verma
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
95 views

Space: Submitted By: Hitesh Verma Yashesh Dharia

The document discusses interpersonal space and the four zones of social distance between people in various contexts. The intimate zone is within 1.5 feet for close relationships. The personal zone is 1.5-4 feet for conversations. The social zone is 4-12 feet for groups and acquaintances. The public zone is over 12 feet, such as when walking in public. Cultural differences exist but maintaining personal space control affects social comfort. Proxemics research also examined fixed, semi-fixed, and informal personal spaces.

Uploaded by

Hitesh Verma
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

SPACE

Submitted By:

Hitesh Verma

Yashesh Dharia

Body language and space


Interpersonal space refers to the psychological "bubble" that we can
imagine exists when someone is standing too close to us. Research has
revealed that there are four different zones of interpersonal space.

 The first zone is called intimate distance and ranges from touching
to about eighteen inches (46 cm) apart. Intimate distance is the
space around us that we reserve for lovers, children, as well as
close family members and friends.
 The second zone is called personal distance and begins about an
arm's length away; starting around eighteen inches (46 cm) from
our person and ending about four feet (122 cm) away. We use
personal distance in conversations with friends, to chat with
associates, and in group discussions.
 The third zone of interpersonal space is called social distance and
is the area that ranges from four to eight feet (1.2 m - 2.4 m) away
from you. Social distance is reserved for strangers, newly formed
groups, and new acquaintances.
 The fourth identified zone of space is public distance and includes
anything more than eight feet (2.4 m) away from you. This zone is
used for speeches, lectures, and theater; essentially, public distance
is that range reserved for larger audiences.

Proxemics
Researcher E.T. Hall created the term “proxemics” in 1963 while
investigating the "fixed" and "semi-fixed" contrasts in physical
space. Specifically, he found that fixed feature space is
characterized by unmovable boundaries (such as divisions within
a structure), while semi-fixed feature space relates to fixed
boundaries such as physical things. “Informal space” is the
personal zone that varies among individuals and situations.

 In some cultures, spatial territory is not nearly as limited as it is


in the United States. Comfort levels vary and differ widely,
depending upon that status quo within a particular culture.
However, most would agree that maintaining control over
personal space is a key factor in social comfort levels.

How one approaches space in general can vastly affect


communication? Spatial territory for communication generally
consists of four categories for informal space:
 the intimate distance for embracing or whispering (6-18
inches),
 the personal distance for conversations among good friends
(1.5-4 feet),
 social distance for conversations among acquaintances (4-12
feet), and
 Public distance used for public speaking (12 feet or more).

There’s general zoning distances you can keep in mind if you live
in the city area of a Western country, some of these distances are
increased by interaction of two men and decreased by the
interaction of two women, they break down into the following:

 Intimate Zone: About 15 to 45 cm’s (6 to 18 inches) this is


the most important zone of them all as it is only reserved for a
select few of people, this includes parents, love partners,
children, family and very close friends, the proximity chosen by
the person is also dependant on who it is…only love partners or
our children would be allowed to engage in close physical
proximity (15 cms or less) specially in the hip area as opposed to
a distant family member giving us a goodbye kiss. Anyone who is
not meant to be in the Intimate Zone and enters it will cause
physiological changes (such as increased heart rate) in our body
as we will feel threatened.
 Friend Zone: About 45 cms to 1.2 meters (18 to 46 inches)
this is the distance we reserve for social gatherings such as
parties, friendly interactions etc…
 Social Zone: About 1.2 to 3.5 meters (4 to 12 feet) this
zoning is reserved for strangers we just met, acquaintances and
anyone we interact with that we haven’t established a
relationship with.
 Audience Zone: Anything over 3.5 meters (12 feet) is used
to address an audience or large group of people like playing
Charades.
Crowded Places
To put the zoning example to the test, go to anywhere that has
large crowds of people who are forced to have their Intimate Zone
violated and are in between objective locations, like public
transportation from trains to buses, elevators, lines at the
supermarket or museum and observe these attitudes in yourself
and others as if we all followed these unwritten rules;

 Eye contact must be avoided at all costs.


 Show no emotion whatsoever and maintain an
expressionless face.
 If standing in a large compact crowd; remain rigidly stiff as a
pole and avoid any physical movement.
 You are a selective mute for this journey even if you see
somebody you know, hold your breath if possible.
 Act busy, pretend to read a book, newspaper, take out your
phone and text or watch the floor numbers change in the
elevator.
Social distance 

We like to keep our distance from others and there are very specific
social rules about how close we can go to others in particular
situations.

This social distance is also known as body space and comfort zone and
the use of this space is called proxemics.

Why the distance?

Regulating the distances between us and other people provides us with


several benefits, including:

 Safety: When people are distant, they can't surprise attack us.
 Communication: When people are closer, it is easier to
communicate with them.
 Affection: When they are closer still, we can be intimate.
 Threat: The reverse can be used - you may deliberately threaten a
person by invading their body space.

Social distances

The social distances here are approximate, of course and will vary with
people. But they are still a good general rule. Hall (1966) identified
four zones that are common for Americans:

Public Zone : > 12 feet (3m)

The public zone is generally over 12 feet. That is, when we are walking
around town, we will try to keep at least 12 feet between us and other
people. For example, we will leave that space between us and the
people walking in front.
Of course there are many times when we cannot do this. What the
theory of social distance tells us is that we will start to notice other
people who are within this radius. The closer they get, the more we
become aware and ready ourselves for appropriate action.

When we are distant from another person, we feel a degree of safety


from them. A person at a distance cannot attack us suddenly. If they do
seem to threaten, we will have time to dodge, run or prepare for battle.

Social Zone : 4 - 12 feet (1.5m - 3m)

Within the social zone, we start to feel a connection with other people.
When they are closer, then we can talk with them without having to
shout, but still keep them at a safe distance.

This is a comfortable distance for people who are standing in a group


but maybe not talking directly with one another. People sitting in chairs
or gathered in a room will tend to like this distance.

Personal Zone : 1.5-4 feet (0.5m - 1.5m)

In the personal zone, the conversation gets more direct, and this is a
good distance for two people who are talking in earnest about
something.

Intimate Zone < 1.5 feet (< 0.5m)

When a person is within arms reach or closer, then we can touch them
in intimate ways. We can also see more detail of their body language
and look them in they eyes. When they are closer, they also blot out
other people so all we can see is them (and vice versa). Romance of all
kinds happens in this space.

Entering the intimate zone of somebody else can be very threatening.


This is sometimes done as a deliberate ploy to give a non-verbal signal
that they are powerful enough to invade your territory at will.

You might also like