Every day we contact many people - with family and friends at home, on the way to work, on public transport, in the office.
To some we let's get very close and even hug us, unconsciously try to stay away from others, that is, we keep a certain distance with different people.
What are spatial communication zones and what impact does their violation have on us?
Spatial areas of communication in psychology - what is it?
Protection of personal space is natural for every member of the animal world, including man, albeit with great reservations due to its socialization.
Depending on how we treat a person, what kind of relationship we have with him, we keep a certain distance with him in communication.
This feature in the late 1960s revealed American psychologist Edward Hallafter which he developed a theory of communication distances.
The laws by which individuals are located relative to each other in the process of communication, he combined into a separate section of social psychology, called proksemikoy - from the English word proximity, meaning "proximity".
The boundaries of interpersonal communication and their characteristics
Edward Hall singled out 4 spatial boundaries for communication, each of which implies the observance of a certain distance with a person upon contact:
- Intimate. A person can be at a distance of 10-15 cm to 40 cm from us on contact. Only the closest friends, relatives, people with whom we are in intimate relationships are allowed into this zone. It is characterized by frequent touch, hug, low voice, confidence.
- Personal. This zone has borders from 40-45 cm to 100 cm. It includes people with whom we often come in contact during business communication with colleagues, meeting with friends and acquaintances.
Personal distance implies only confident eye contact with people communicating, and only sometimes socially determined touches.
For example, shaking hands when meeting, patting on the outside of the hand from the elbow to the shoulder.
- Social. The boundaries of this zone are from 1 m to 3-4 m. It is observed during business meetings in spacious premises, as a rule, of a formal nature, as well as in classrooms and classrooms in contact with students.
- Public. It has borders from 4 m. It is observed when speaking in front of a large group of people - for example, at a concert, rally, or in a so-called in-line audience.
The indicated boundaries of the spatial communication zones may also vary slightly from the following factors:
- From self-esteem and person confidence. In this case, the violation of the distance of communication or its reduction occurs at the initiative of a self-confident, more active person. But people with low self-esteem tend to keep a little away from the interlocutor, sometimes even retreating, taking a step back.
- From the individual psychological characteristics of a person. Choleric and extroverts also have more tight boundaries of communication, and phlegmatic and introverts tend to expand their intimate zone. However, they tend not only to protect their borders, but also not to violate the intimate zone of the interlocutor.
- From conditions education. Those people who grew up without brothers and sisters, and also had their own room as a child, as a rule, in adulthood need a more extensive personal space than children who grew up in cramped quarters.
At the same time, the attitude laid down by the parents towards the personal boundaries of the person is also very significant.
- From nationality. Different nations also have their traditional distances for communication. For example, they are more extensive among the Japanese and residents of Northern Europe, who avoid touch when communicating and try to keep a respectful distance from the interlocutor, but the more temperamental peoples of the Caucasus, Italians, Latin Americans allow closer contact with the interlocutor.
How does the violation of these distances affect a person?
Violation of spatial boundaries happens often enough - for example, in public transport or an elevator, when strangers are forced to stand very close and sometimes touch each other.
Wherein the reaction is almost always the same - people tend to express a minimum of emotion, avoid eye contact.
In the elevator, people look at the index of floors, and in public transport - in the windows, while all produce a minimum of movements.
This is due to the fact that even forced violation another person permissible boundaries of communication leads to discomfort. Invasion of personal space is unconsciously perceived as a threat.
The frequency of the heartbeat, blood pressure rises, blood rushes to the head - the body instinctively prepares to protect its personal territory from the intruder.
Incorrect distance disturbance during communication can lead to rejection by the interlocutor. If you allow yourself to touch a new acquaintance a few minutes after meeting, he may consider this as an invasion of his personal space and continue to try to avoid you.
As a result, this may hinder the construction of trusting relationships, not only in business, but also in personal sphere.
How to maintain the correct distance?
The correct determination of the optimal distance between you and your interlocutor able to significantly raise the level of communication.
In this case, neither you nor your partner will not experience discomfort.
Learn to keep the correct distance between you and your interlocutor can, drawing attention to the following features.
Intimate
To determine the intimate area of communication, just briefly move closer to your partner and look at his reaction. If a interlocutor does not move away, does not seek to step aside, this may mean that you are among those who are allowed to be at such a distance.
A whole series of unconscious movements can indicate a reverse situation - nervous tapping with the fingers on the table, raising the shoulders and drawing the neck in, screwing up the eyes, looking to the side, fidgeting in place, throwing one's legs to the foot.
Thus, the body of the interlocutor will say about the violation of the boundaries of intimate space, even if he himself is silent about it correctly.
It should also be remembered that the violation of intimate distance can be perceived as flirtingif your partner is of a different gender or as familiarity.
If you do not intend to make such an impression on the interlocutor, it is strongly not recommended to invade his intimate space.
Sometimes the violation of the boundaries of the intimate zone is intentionally carried out by leaders, as well as by aggressive people. in order to suppress the will or to show their dominant position.
In some cases - for example, congratulationspermissible violation of intimate distance between those people who usually keep in a personal zone during communications.
However, the kiss of a colleague’s male colleague on her happy birthday and the kiss of two lovers are strikingly different - if in the first case a distance of 10-15 cm between the bodies should be maintained, then the lovers usually press the bodies to each other.
Personal
Personal spatial zone is the most universal in communication. However, its boundaries may vary in some cases. For example, elderly people and children try to be closer to the interlocutorthan teenagers and middle-aged people.
Also, the boundaries of the personal zone depend on the social status - the subordinate will strive to be further away from his supervisor, but the latter, on the contrary, may violate this distance.
Matters and the growth of contact people. People of higher height tend to be closer to the partner, while a short person usually stays at a more respectful distance.
However, the opposite tendency may be observed in women - a small woman will come closer to a tall man when in contact, while a high one will move away for some distance.
This is due to mental attitudesthat a man should be bigger, larger than a female - therefore, tall women increase their personal zone when talking to small men, as if trying to hide their shortcoming.
Also worth pay attention to the emotional state of manWith whom you communicate - a confident, calm person will not be as busy with the safety of his own personal boundaries, as a partner suppressed by something.
Aggressive people prone to conflict, by contrast, expand their personal area of communication.
This is signaled by sweeping movements and gestures that seem to show - this distance is controlled by meaccordingly, its violation may be perceived as an act of aggression.
Social
Social zone of communication is supported in the event that no need to establish a personal relationship with your interlocutor - that is, when there is only official communication, and personal motives are not affected.
In this case, it is any business aspects that are discussed, and not any particular person.
In this case, there can be a writing desk between the communicators, or the interlocutors are at different ends of the office, not seeking to shorten the distance.
The conversation itself is not confidential, not emotionally colored, it is conducted in a calm, clear, even voice.
Public
Public distance required when needed well consider a person, who makes a report or somehow shows himself in a public place - for example, at a concert.
Also, such a distance allows the speaker to react in time and take appropriate measures when attacking him.
Optimal distancewhere people will be in the process of their communication may depend not only on the peculiarities of the character of people, their mentality and the relationships that have developed at this moment.
It may also be dictated by the content of the conversation - for example, if in a public place urgently required to report any information, which is appropriate to hear only your partner, the distance between the conversation can be significantly reduced to the violation of the intimate zone.
In order to make your communication with people comfortable, you should not only protect your own spatial zones, but also carefully monitor the violation of the distancethat your interlocutor considers optimal.
Only in this case, the contact will be confidential, and the communication itself will not cause a negative.
About the boundaries of communication in this video:
