Personal Space
Change to set of interpersonal topics in environmental psychology. Issues
that come up only because and only when there are other people in the
environment: personal space, territoriality, presence of others, and
crowding.
Proxemics (spacing) first studies with other species – e.g., animals in their
habitats, birds on a telephone line, and between people and animals – animal
trainers, lions or tigers, and flight and fight distances.
Spacing in people not systematically studied until 1966 – anthropologist
Edward Hall published Hidden Dimension about interaction distances –
communication zones – intimate (0-18”); personal-near (1.5’ – 2.5’);
personal-far (2.5’ – 4’); social (4’ – 12’); and public (12’ -- ).
Spacing = Distance + Immediacy or Involvement Behaviors
If spacing too close or too far Compensation (Argyle and Dean)
May, under some circumstances Reciprocation (Patterson)
Personal Space:. Zone surrounding one into which another may not intrude
without causing arousal and anxiety.
Bubble analogy: Bad in that it implies that one’s personal space is a
constant and that another is either outside of one’s personal space or in one’s
space. Good in that it implies that personal space is ego-centric; it moves
with the person.
How measure personal space? Lab: (1) Simulation or Projective
Techniques – easiest, but results are unreliable and effects of manipulations
or instructions are not always consistent with effects using other procedures.
(2) Stop-distance Procedure. What distance to measure? Problem of
reactivity. But does seem to respond appropriately to manipulations. Field:
Non-reactive. Field observation. Structured field studies
First discuss protective aspects of spacing vs. communication aspects. I.e.,
spacing in non-communication settings.
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