What is proxemics in psychology, nonverbal communications

Man has always been and remains a social being, and it is absolutely impossible to live in this world without communication with other people around him (we do not consider individual cases of asceticism and “renunciation of the world,” which are the exception rather than the norm). However, each of us has a very special and carefully guarded personal physical space. Depending on the comfort of the relationship, we can increase it with some people and decrease it with others.

Spatial relationships between people are a topic that has been of interest to psychologists around the world for a very long time. A separate area of psychological science, proxemics, is even devoted to the study of these relationships. In this article we will tell you what it is, what it studies in the context of psychology, what features it has, and how knowledge about it is useful for any of us.

Types of distances during communication

Depending on the proximity of the relationship and the size of personal space, when communicating with each other, people unconsciously choose different distances between themselves and the interlocutor. Proxemics as a means of communication describes 4 types of distance.

intimate

Intimate distance is inherent in communication in which people are quite close to each other. These could be, for example, lovers, close friends, relatives, children and parents. A distance between people of 15 to 45 centimeters is considered intimate. In some cultures, a distance of up to 60 cm is considered intimate, while in others it is equal to the length of the arm from the tips of the fingers to the elbow.

People who have problems with socialization do not like to be in large crowds of people, where contact and constant violations of the usual distance are inevitable. Such people often try to increase their personal space by any means: buying out neighboring seats in cinemas and transport, placing things around them that do not allow anyone to come closer than the person is comfortable.

An individual with a tendency toward aggression also tries to increase his intimate zone, but does this by reducing the personal field of his interlocutor. Such people approach excessively, spread their legs wide, wave their arms, and try to hover over the person they are talking to. There is an assumption that aggressiveness is a consequence of the fact that a person is endowed with a wide intimate space and perceives intrusion into it as a danger.

Knowing the laws of proxemics, you can identify the attitude of others towards you. To do this, you just need to carefully observe the distance they try to maintain. The closer they are physically, the closer they will be mentally. If there is a clear desire to distance oneself, a person is most likely not ready to communicate openly.

Personal

Personal distance is typical for business and friendly communication, its size is from 0.5 to 1.2 meters. At this distance, people communicate with business partners, friends, colleagues and not too close relatives.

People's personal space may vary depending on their type of nervous activity, age, gender and character. Sanguine and choleric people tend to shorten the distance with the interlocutor, melancholic and phlegmatic people tend to stay a little further from those with whom they are talking. People who feel defenseless, such as children and the elderly, try to be closer to the interlocutor. More independent and confident individuals respect the personal boundaries of others and do not get too close. The distance between women is often shorter than between men or representatives of different sexes.

Social

Social distance is 1.2–3.7 meters. This distance is usually maintained when communicating between strangers and business partners who are distant in status.

Public

This is a distance intended for public speaking. Its size depends on the size of the room in which the speaker is located. In small audiences this can be 3.5–7.5 meters, at large events - at a concert or in a theater, the distance between the speaker and the audience can be more than 7.5 meters. Communication at such a distance does not imply personal acquaintance of the interlocutors with each other; usually only the one who is going to speak introduces himself.

Reasons for violating personal space

Reducing the communication distance and invading an intimate area causes a negative reaction in people. Therefore, you should avoid such behavior - avoid patting on the shoulder, touching, especially the head and face. You should not get too close to a person you don’t know well, as this will provoke a negative reaction of rejection. You can cause hostility in a person, and it will not be easy to establish a normal relationship with him later.

It is believed that residents of large cities are more relaxed about the violation of their personal space than those who live in small towns and villages. But this is not entirely true. Yes, residents of megacities are more accustomed to crowding and excessively close contact with strangers in transport, in elevators, in queues. But most often this tolerance is only external. People simply hold back negativity, not allowing aggression to break out - a natural defense of personal space. This increases the risk of stress, the development of neuroses and other unpleasant consequences of restraining natural mental reactions.

Living conditions in big cities force one to put up with many inconveniences, but the violation of personal space can also be conscious and intentional. I think each of us has found ourselves in a situation where the interlocutor seems to be hovering over him, approaching him closely, literally causing a tremor of irritation and confusion. Under these conditions, a person may lose the thread of a conversation, lose ease of thought, or even common sense. The desire to get rid of the psychological pressure of an interlocutor who has violated personal space leads to hasty, rash decisions. A person agrees to something that he would not otherwise agree to. Sound familiar?

There are two main reasons why a person deliberately violates the personal space of his communication partner.

The desire to manipulate a partner, to subjugate him, to force him to do what is beneficial to the manipulator. But you need to pay attention that the person applying pressure is exposed to the same danger, because he also opens his personal space. In such a situation, the person who is stronger psychologically and more self-confident wins, and this will not necessarily be the initiator of the invasion.
The desire for intimacy in a situation where the partner is liked, including on a physiological level. Reducing the communication distance is a kind of demonstration of intentions and a subconscious desire to influence a partner with the help of olfactory agents (pheromones - the characteristic smell of sexual arousal). If the partner, in response to a reduction in distance, does not seek to increase the communication distance and accepts the invasion of personal space, then, most likely, the sympathy is mutual.

But given that every person is jealous of the boundaries of his intimate area, violating them even with the best intentions can lead to conflict.

Forms of relationship to space

There are four forms of human relationship to space:

personal space
individual distance
territoriality
personalization of the environment.

Personal space

According to the concept of E. Hall, a person’s personal space is the personal space that directly surrounds a person. Unconsciously, a person treats personal space as his own “I”. Invasion of personal space is perceived as an encroachment on personal freedom.

Individual distance

Individual distance is a distance perceived by a person as optimal for interaction with other people.

Territoriality

E. Hall introduced the term “territoriality” as a system of proxemic human behavior, which includes assigning a certain space to an individual. If personal space is the space directly surrounding a person, then “territoriality” expresses a person’s desire to perceive a certain part of space as belonging only to him. For example, when studying regularly in the same classroom, students sit in their original seats. Everyone in the family has their own place at the dining table, on the sofa, and so on. The rules of territorial behavior of people established in society can be unspoken, or ethical (for example, it is permissible to temporarily violate the boundaries of personal space in public transport), and enshrined in legislation (for example, intrusion into private property is criminally punishable in some countries).

Personalization of the environment

This is the process of creating a territory, the boundaries of which indicate belonging to a specific person and are understandable to others. An example is the placement of personal items on a table.

The connection between ethics, psychology and proxemics

Social psychology and ethics are directly related to communication in society, but this does not mean that all these concepts can be equated with one another. Ethics involves communicating from a cultural perspective. That is, knowing certain rules of behavior established in society, observing them or not, a person communicates.

Proxemics as a non-verbal means of communication implies one’s own personal views on the situation and, on the basis of this, determines the optimal distance for him.

Intimate area

It is an imaginary bubble in which a person is enclosed and distant from the body by 0.5 meters. Having other people in this space usually involves physical contact, such as hugging, stroking, touching, kissing. Under normal conditions, only close people can be close to a person without the risk of provoking aggression: relatives, spouses, very good friends. If an unfamiliar person tries to get into the intimate area of a person, then the latter releases stress hormones, mobilizes the body, and prepares to repel aggression or escape. Nature has provided this mechanism as a means of self-defense.

However, city dwellers are often forced to tolerate strangers in their immediate vicinity. For example, in public transport, elevators, in a crowd on the street. This gave rise to a series of compensating mechanisms, a set of unwritten rules that all citizens follow in similar circumstances. It is not recommended to stare at strangers or talk loudly (even with your friends). Following the unwritten rules of behavior in society is the simplest means of helping the nervous system cope with the stresses inherent in life in a metropolis. Villagers who find themselves in a big city initially experience enormous psychological stress precisely because they react sharply to the invasion of their intimate space.

How does the violation of these distances affect a person?

Violation of spatial boundaries occurs quite often , for example, in public transport or an elevator, when strangers are forced to stand very close and sometimes touch each other.

At the same time the reaction is almost always the same ; people tend to express a minimum of emotions and avoid eye contact.

In an elevator, people look at the floor indicator, and in public transport, at the windows, while everyone makes a minimum of movements.

This is due to the fact that even a forced violation by another person of the permissible boundaries of communication leads to discomfort. Invasion of personal space is unconsciously perceived as a threat.

The heart rate and blood pressure increase, blood rushes to the head, and the body instinctively prepares to protect itself from an intruder of personal territory.

Incorrect violation of distance during communication can lead to rejection by the interlocutor . If you allow yourself to touch a new acquaintance a few minutes after meeting him, he may view this as an invasion of his personal space and henceforth try to avoid you.

As a result, this can hinder the building of trusting relationships not only in the business sphere, but also in the personal sphere.

Proxemics. General characteristics of the industry

In the 50s there lived a fairly famous anthropologist named Edward Hall. He studied the interaction of a person’s personal space with the surrounding social environment. The scientist put forward the theory that each person organizes his personal space, just as he organizes micro-subjective space, the structure of his home, and the urban environment. In other words, our personal directly affects the public. Studying this issue has allowed us to reach a new level of understanding of relationships between people. Thus, proxemics is a branch of social psychology that studies the temporal and symbolic system of communication between people. Science deduces the principles and patterns of remote nonverbal communication.

What it is?

The issue of spatial distance between people was studied back in the fifties of the twentieth century. Edward Hall suggested that the principle of communication with people depends on how close a person allows himself to be approached.

Proxemics is one of the methods of nonverbal communication. Thus, a person expresses his predisposition to close communication with certain individuals through the distance between them.

In other words, proxemics is the spatial distance between people, which is a generally accepted indicator for a certain contact. In different situations, from an interview to a date, two people try to adhere to certain rules. One of them is the distance between interlocutors. In this regard, they distinguish between intimate, personal, social, and public distances.

Nonverbal communication what is it in psychology

Nonverbal communication is a type of communication without the use of words (through images, intonation, gestures, facial expressions). The tools for influencing a person are:

sight;
interpersonal space;
optical-kinesthetic signals (facial expressions, appearance of the interlocutor, pantomime);
peri-speech factors – vocal range, vocal qualities, timbre;
extra-speech (laughter, speech rate, pauses).

For your information. Nonverbal methods of communication improve mutual understanding between people, allow you to predict the mood and attitude of the interlocutor towards the individual, and predict your own communication model.

Personal zones in different cultures

A large number of scientists have been studying the characteristics of different cultures; E. Hall also considered this issue. He observed, among other things, the proxemics of different peoples. Here are some of the conclusions he came to:

Japanese residents are most sensitive to distances between people and other objects;
representatives of Europe and North America try to clearly divide the space of the premises with skirting boards and edgings, and place furniture only along the walls;
residents of China and Japan prefer rooms with sliding walls to be able to increase or decrease the size of the space depending on the purpose of communication and the situation;
the Japanese perceive the touching of their interlocutors to each other as a sign of disrespect, and the Arabs - as a sign of sympathy;
Brazilians like to communicate over short distances, so they make Americans feel uncomfortable, who often strive for wider personal boundaries;
Russians prefer a shorter social distance between interlocutors than Americans, but a longer distance than Latin Americans.

Social and community distancing

Despite the importance of the personal and intimate zone, their study is not the basis that proxemics studies. This is due to the relative one-sidedness of the distances presented above

They are easy to understand, and even easier to identify patterns. More interesting are the social and public areas. They are used in the process of business and public communication. Over the years, people have studied these two distances to find an effective way to control the masses. People who have excellent control over public and social distances are always good speakers.

Superwoman pose

And if you are nervous before a serious conversation or meeting, then try to calm yourself down with the help of the “super-woman” pose - sit straight, at the full depth of the chair, hands on your knees, back straight, shoulders relaxed and apart, chin high, gaze straight ahead. .

Take 15-20 deep breaths, imagining how stress is released from the body as you exhale, and feeling the stability of your posture. This exercise helps bring your parasympathetic nervous system back to normal (heart rate slows, breathing becomes more regular, sweating decreases, and you generally feel more in control).

Ready? Great, go into the meeting feeling confident and in the right position. And don't forget that your tongue may lie, but your body will still tell the truth.

Public area

Public communication is the type of communication in which one person interacts with a group. A comfortable distance in this case is 4-8 meters. It allows you to convey verbal and a significant part of non-verbal information to listeners without using aids such as microphones, loudspeakers and television screens.

Features of personal zones in different cultures

It is interesting that different nations have different sizes of personal and intimate zones, and this discrepancy can cause a completely unpredictable reaction. For example, the distance between interlocutors, which for a resident of Brazil would be in the personal zone and comfortable, will become unacceptable for an American. Because for an American, such a distance is no longer personal, but intimate territory, and he will react negatively to the invasion. During the dialogue, the Brazilian will try to close the distance, and the American will constantly retreat. As a result, both will remain dissatisfied with each other - the American will consider the Brazilian annoying and tactless, and the Brazilian will consider the American arrogant and cold.

In addition to the distance itself, accepted as the norm in different cultures, there are other points that can have a huge impact on the course of communication between their representatives. The same means of communication can have completely different meanings in different cultures. For example, consider the Arabs and Japanese. Despite the fact that the size of personal space in both cultures is almost the same, they have completely different attitudes towards touch. In Japanese culture, touching is not accepted. For Arabs, on the contrary, touch is a means of expressing sympathy. If one interlocutor avoids touching another, this can be interpreted as disrespect or even contempt. Therefore, a dialogue between a Japanese and an Arab will most likely leave a very painful impression on both - the Japanese will silently suffer from the “rudeness” of the Arab, and the Arab from the “arrogant contempt” of the Japanese.

In addition to distance, proxemic interactions also include how people mutually orient themselves.

It is very important where a person’s body is turned during communication. If people are turned towards each other (in dialogue) or everyone faces the imaginary center of the group (when several people form a circle), then they form a closed figure. A closed figure is a nonverbal signal to others that external interference in the conversation is undesirable at the moment

When a new participant tries to join a conversation taking place in a closed figure, two scenarios are possible.

A closed figure is a nonverbal signal to others that external interference in the conversation is undesirable at the moment. When a new participant tries to join a conversation taking place in a closed figure, two scenarios are possible.

The first option is to turn the body towards the newcomer, the figure opens and includes a new participant, after which it closes again. In this option, the new participant fully joins the conversation.
In the second case, only heads are turned towards the person who wants to join the conversation, and the figure remains closed. In fact, this is a nonverbal signal indicating the extreme undesirability of interfering in the current conversation.

It also happens that during a conversation in a group of three people, after a while two of them form a closed figure, excluding the third from communication. Proxemics in this case is used as a means of nonverbal pressure. In this case, it is best for the person who has been excluded from communication to leave without waiting for the awkwardness to escalate.

In addition to switching off, the opposite option is also possible - involving a person who, for some reason, is silent, into a conversation. This technique is performed using visual contact. When communicating with one of the interlocutors, the gaze is briefly transferred to the second and back. This creates the illusion that all three people are participating in the conversation. This tool is especially useful for unobtrusively involving a shy, timid person in a conversation. An insecure person who doesn’t know how to connect to a conversation will definitely feel gratitude to the person who non-verbally connected him to the conversation.

A good knowledge of proxemics can significantly improve the effectiveness of communication. Understanding the mechanisms by which people subconsciously evaluate their interlocutor allows you to avoid annoying mistakes and blunders caused by a lack of information, as well as incorrect decoding of non-verbal signals.

Personal distance

The personal field of communication is located at a distance of 45 to 120 centimeters from a person and is intended for friendly contacts. The near and far personal zones are divided: in the near one there may be friends and relatives, in the far one there may be colleagues, regular business partners, and buddies.

If the intimate distance in different cultures differs slightly, then with respect to the personal distance there is a much greater variation, which is why sometimes interethnic incidents occur. For example, Russians have a closer personal communication zone than US residents. Because of this, Americans experience real stress when they find themselves in Russia, where dense crowds on transport or in the market are the norm. Russians, in turn, consider Americans arrogant and arrogant. Compare: if several seats become vacant on the subway, an American will definitely sit further away from another passenger; in Russia this is regarded as an insult. Students in US classrooms try to sit in one place, but in Russia they “huddle” in groups.

The perception of personal space may differ among representatives of the same culture depending on temperament, character, age and gender. Thus, introverts and reserved people have a very large intimate distance, and, accordingly, their personal distance is at a greater distance than others. Extroverts, on the contrary, always try to be closer to the interlocutor, preferring to use the close personal zone. People who are weaker and more defenseless due to age (children and the elderly) stay closer to the interlocutor. Those who can afford independence (young people, mature people) keep a respectful distance.

This value also depends on how confident a person is. People with a positive self-perception allow their interlocutors to get close enough. Those who have complexes about height, appearance and personal qualities try to stay away. If you look into the subconscious, the mechanisms of such behavior are clear - a confident person is calmer, he knows that he can protect himself. Doubting himself, he also doubts his ability to withstand a sudden attack by an enemy invading his personal zone.

How to recognize gestures?

In order to feel confident and comfortable in a situation of communicating with different people, to avoid manipulation, you should learn to recognize non-verbal language of communication in situations where they are trying to deceive you.

What means of nonverbal communication, gestures, postures, and facial expressions should you pay attention to in order to recognize a lie?

excessively long or frequent pauses, pauses and hesitations before starting a line;
asymmetry of facial expressions, lack of synchrony in the work of facial muscles, when there is a discrepancy in the facial expressions of the two sides of the face;
a “frozen” facial expression, when it does not change for 5-10 seconds, is false;
delayed expression of emotions, when long pauses arise between the word and the emotions associated with it;
a “long” smile, where the lips are pulled back from the teeth, creating a narrow lip line;
visual contact is shallow, when the liar's eyes meet the interlocutor's eyes for no more than a third of the entire conversation, while often looking at the ceiling and around with a restless expression on his face;
twitching of any part of the body: tapping fingers on the table, biting the lip, twitching of arms or legs;
scanty gestures that the liar keeps under control;
high pitched voice, heavy breathing;
bent body, crossed-legged poses;
poor facial expressions, weak work of the facial muscles;
quickly moving the eyes first to the upper right corner, and then to the lower left;
quick, imperceptible at first glance, touching the nose, rubbing the eyelid;
brighter gestures with the right hand compared to the left;
any exaggeration: unnecessary movements and gestures, inappropriate emotions;
frequent eye blinking

Knowing all the subtleties of non-verbal communication techniques, you will not only be able to avoid manipulation, but you yourself can easily learn how to manage people

The main thing that any student of body language strives for is the ability to detect lies in the speech of the interlocutor. They say about dishonesty:

Frequently touching the face, scratching the forehead and nose, covering the mouth with the hand. A person literally tries to stop himself from telling a lie, to cover his face, avoiding a direct condemning gaze.
Stroking, scratching the neck. Talks about lies caused by fear or misunderstanding. Such gestures are often demonstrated by subordinates when talking with their boss.
Touching the earlobe. During communication, touching the ears means that the person does not believe in the information he heard, but tries not to show it.
Quick, frequent smiles, licking lips. It means excitement, a desire to hide deception.

To get a complete picture of the correspondence of gestures and facial expressions to a person’s words, you need to evaluate the meaning of all movements:

Gait. By the way the interlocutor enters the room, you can assess the degree of confidence and self-esteem: a long step, a confident gait - purposefulness and ambition, a shuffling gait - lack of will and aspirations, a slow, imposing gait - narcissism and demonstrativeness.
Hand position while moving and sitting. Elbows pressed to the body indicate isolation, unsociability; broad gestures, waving your arms when talking - openness, sociability. Touching your interlocutor is a desire to enter the zone of closest trust, a desire to subjugate.
Direction of view. The position of the eyes shows how interested the interlocutor is in the conversation and the desire to defend his point of view. A downward gaze means the person is telling the truth; an upward gaze means he makes it up as he goes along.
Posture. A straightened neck and a raised chin indicate a person’s general confidence; a bowed head is a sign of humility and timidity.
Body direction. A body leaning forward means interest in the conversation, sympathy for the interlocutor, a desire to reduce the emotional distance, and gain trust.

If a person often changes position during a conversation, his opinion is unstable. He is ready to accept someone else's point of view and submit to his interlocutor.

intimate distance

The distance between people, taking into account intimate distance, is no more than 45 centimeters. This allows you to share personal thoughts and opinions without fear of being heard by other people. When people communicate in intimate areas, words don't really matter. The most important role is played by non-verbal factors: gaze, movements, touch.

The effect of the intimate zone is most clearly visible between spouses.

People who are dissatisfied with their marriage will always be at a distance that is significantly greater than 0.5 meters. An absolutely opposite picture can be seen between happy couples.

It should be noted that the boundaries of the intimate zone may differ for each person. For example, people who are prone to using brute force create for themselves an intimate zone of a larger radius than that of other people. This situation arises due to the constant readiness of rude and cruel people for danger.

Public distance

Social psychology also identifies a fourth type of distance, which is the farthest - public. Its peculiarity is that at such a distance you can speak in front of a large number of people. In this regard, this distance starts from 3.5 meters and can increase literally to infinity.

Many of us have seen an example of such a distance, which was highlighted by proxemics: communication with listeners at a lecture, performance in a circus, theater, concert hall. All these situations involve communicating with a large number of people, in which the speaker is at a great distance from them.

Since the speaker usually does not know everyone present, violating the boundaries of such a zone causes different consequences. This largely depends on the current situation. When a teacher gets close to a student, it can cause pride, fear and apprehension in the listener, a feeling of awkwardness, and for some, even anger.

Scientific research

Representatives of Ancient Rome already possessed the study of body language and the desire to characterize gestures. The science formed on the basis of the observations of researchers was called kenesics. The greatest contribution to its development was made by:

J. Balwer. He created a fundamental work devoted to gestures, in particular, hand movements.
I. F. Lavater. He studied physiognomy and conducted a comparative analysis of emotions and gestures.
G. K. Lichtenberg. He published several works in which he examined Lavater’s ideas in detail, calling them superficial and far from reality.
C. Bell. He studied the nervous system, studied the correspondence of facial features to the emotions experienced. He deduced a pattern between emotional reaction and muscular activity.
C. Darwin. Studied the correspondence of facial expression to emotional reaction.
F. Bacon. I came to the conclusion that there is a special body language that is understood by all peoples of the world.
F. Lowen. In his book on the psychology of the body, he outlined the basics of psychosomatic problems

Psychologists and sociologists believe that body language can become a universal means of communication between people of different social groups.

Spatial arrangement

If we talk about the spatial positions of people, then one example of proxemics can be the arrangement of people at the table. Experts distinguish 4 types of positions of interlocutors at the table relative to each other:

Angular. People sit on both sides of one corner of the table, separated only by its diagonal. This is how close people usually communicate - relatives, spouses, close friends. This position allows them to communicate using not only speech, but also sign language and touch. Sitting in this position, people feel comfortable, but unlike other positions, they do not geographically divide the table into “their” and “their” parts.
Business. This position is on one side of the table. With this position, it is convenient for partners to discuss business issues and study documents. In addition, this arrangement allows the relationship to be quite trusting in business terms.
Competitive and defensive. This is a position where the interlocutors sit opposite each other on opposite sides of the table. It is considered classic in business negotiations and in the case when there is a conversation between people who need to agree on something on which they have opposing points of view.
Independent. This is an arrangement that demonstrates people's disinterest in communicating with each other. This position is taken, for example, by people who sit down on a bench in a park or in a cafe at a table with a stranger. They try to be as far away from each other as possible, trying to demonstrate their independence from whoever is nearby.

Features of crowding

When studying crowding, we took into account not only the significance of space for a particular person, but also the type of interaction between people. Alternatively, a situation may occur between strangers when a person looks threatening or when an accidental collision occurs. Although a person experiences stress, it will be of different types. In the first case it will be fear, and in the second it will be more likely indignation. And the likelihood of a negative impact on the human psyche will be much greater in the first case.

Proxemics theory

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall

) in the 1950s, exploring the personal space of a person in his everyday behavior, used this term to designate “an analysis of how a person carries out spontaneous structuring of microspace - intersubjective space, organization of space in his home, planning of the urban environment.” He came to a new understanding of relationships between people. Each person has a certain territory that he considers personal. Communication distance depends on many factors (origin, culture, personal preferences). If the distance is too small or too large, people may feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Hall identified four intersubjective zones, each of which is divided into near and far:

intimate (0-0.5 m) – typical for communication between relatives and close people.

The intimate zone is divided into two phases: close and far. The proximity phase is the phase of rapprochement, implying complete fusion, when tactile perception predominates. The far phase of the intimate zone involves a distance of up to 45 cm. For some cultures, this distance is equal to the privacy distance (in Arab countries). Intrusion into an intimate area is perceived as painful, provided that the person himself does not want such an invasion or does not control it. Intimate distance zones vary across cultures. In Western Europe, the distance is 60 cm, in Eastern Europe - 45 cm, in Mediterranean countries - from fingertips to elbow.

personal (personal) (0.5 m-1.2 m) - this is the distance within which the speaker prefers to communicate with other people in a work environment, at parties
social (1.2 m-3.65 m) - represents the distance for social contacts of a formal nature, for example, with strangers, at business meetings. The social zone involves interaction with a small group - approximately seven to fifteen people.
public (3.65 m or more) is the distance between interlocutors that exceeds the area reserved for public contacts.

The dimensions of personal space, into which we do not allow other people to invade, as Hall’s research has shown, are culturally determined and differ for people of different cultures (nationalities). Eastern cultures allow less communication distance than Western ones.

An increase in social activity is usually accompanied by a decrease in physical distance and mutual orientation in space.

Within the framework of proxemics, scientists deal with the following problems:

the influence of distance between interlocutors on interpersonal communication; intercultural differences in proxemic behavior of communicants
small group ecology, which studies the proxemic behavior of people in formal and informal situations
the influence of population density and crowds on human mental health (density and crowding)
using the rules of spatial organization in the virtual world.

Chapter 9. Proxemics

Proxemics studies the spatial conditions of communication—the location of interlocutors at the moment of their contact. One of the first to study the spatial structure of communication was the American anthropologist Edward Hall, who coined the term “proxemics,” the literal translation of which means “proximity.” Proxemic characteristics include the location of partners in space at the moment of communication and the distance between them. The advantage of certain spatial forms of organizing communication (both for two partners and for a large audience) has been experimentally proven. There is a large amount of information that animals, birds and fish designate their habitat and protect it, but only relatively recently it was discovered that humans also have their own protected zones and territories.

Like many mechanisms of human behavior, respect for space was initially dictated by biological expediency. Man acquired social skills only in the last stages of his evolution. To this day, its behavior has preserved features dictated by ancient instincts, one of which is territorial. There is no doubt that the proxemic characteristics of communication are directly influenced by cultural and national factors, but the general patterns remain the same. E. Hall described the norms of approaching a person to a person - distances characteristic of European and American culture. These standards are determined by four distances.

In particular, intimate, personal, social and public distances are distinguished:

intimate
distance (from 0 to 45 cm) - communication between the closest people. The intimate area is the most important. It is this zone that a person protects as if it were his property.
personal
(from 46 to 120 cm) - communication with familiar people. The personal zone is the distance that usually separates us when we are at official receptions and friendly parties.
social
(from 120 to 400 cm) - preferable when communicating with strangers and in official communication. The social zone is the distance at which we keep from people we do not know very well.
public
(more than 400 cm) - when speaking in front of various audiences. Public zone is the distance that is maintained when we address a large group of people.

1. Intimate distance.

It (like all others) has two intervals: “close” and “far”. Close interval - direct contact; distant - distance from 15 to 45 cm. Beyond this distance there seems to be an area reserved for the exchange of intimate messages in body language (mutual touching, eye contact, etc.).

In this regard, observations of married couples by family therapy specialist D. Russell Crane are not without interest. He argues that emotional intimacy between spouses can be measured in meters and centimeters. The distance that married couples who are dissatisfied with their marriage choose to communicate is approximately 30% greater than the distance between happy spouses. On average, happy partners stand at a distance of 28.5 cm from each other, and unhappy ones at a distance of 37 cm, but if for the former this is the distance of emotional closeness, then for the latter it is an insurmountable gap. Thus, it is quite easy to establish what level of communication your potential partner wants to adhere to. It is enough to intentionally reduce personal distance, and the other person will unconsciously make a move to establish the distance that he currently finds acceptable. For example, if you move closer (lean) towards your interlocutor or interlocutor, reducing the distance to the level of intimate communication, and he or she is in no hurry to move away, then this, in all likelihood, indicates a readiness for closer contact. However, it must be remembered that overuse of this diagnostic technique risks the fact that your approach may be perceived as aggression or familiarity, or perhaps as shameless flirtation.

In general, we do not mind the occupation of our intimate area only in combination with love, reward and praise. Managers can also strengthen their superior claims through spatial harassment of their subordinates.

According to the German psychologist Khorog Rückle, when violating the boundaries of territory, especially the intimate space of a person, the following reactions should be kept in mind: restless fidgeting, signaling a desire to leave; crossing your legs over your legs, away from the invader - turning to the side and preparing to escape; finger tapping (internal alarm signal); resting on your hands with the intention of getting up, which signals the desire to get up and move away; closing the eyes: “I don’t want to see you come so close to me”; lowering the chin to the chest: “I obey, yes, I’m scared, and I’m protecting my neck, leave me alone”; raising your shoulders to cover your neck: “I regard your intrusion as an attack and am protecting my neck”; grabbing objects, especially pencils, which then, in most cases, turn the sharpened end towards the “occupier”: “I control myself or arm myself to protect myself from you.” Getting up: “I don’t allow myself to be treated like this, I draw my conclusions and leave.”

When a woman invades a man’s intimate zone, the outrage will not be as strong as when a man invades a woman’s intimate zone.

2. Personal distance.

Near spacing: 45-75 cm, far: 75-120 cm. How close people stand to each other signals their relationship, or how they feel about each other. The wife can stand quietly within her husband's intimate private zone. For another woman, being in it is a completely different matter.

In this space, normal communication processes occurring between people should be realized. However, people who focus on internal experiences tend to maintain greater distance than extroverts. If a person does not notice the personal zone and approaches the intimate zone too quickly or even invades its boundaries, then he thereby demonstrates his lack of the necessary tact and correct assessment of the personality of another person. He literally appears intrusive and makes a depressing impression. In fact, protecting personal areas is one of the main principles of wordless communication.

But personal distance is not the same for people brought up in similar conditions. Thus, children and old people tend to be closer to their partner; teenagers and middle-aged people prefer distant distances. In addition, we usually try to be at a greater distance from those whose position or power is higher than ours, while people of equal status communicate at a close distance.

An important role in regulating personal distance is played by the gender and height of interlocutors. The taller a man is, the more he tends to get closer to his interlocutor, and, conversely, the shorter his height, the greater the distance he prefers to stay. In women, the opposite dependence is observed. The explanation for this is that an ordinary “cultural norm” has developed in society - a man should be large, and a woman, on the contrary, should be miniature. And we unconsciously strive to adjust our lives to this conventional norm. A tall man is pleased to stand next to a short interlocutor, while a tall woman, on the contrary, tends to move further away in order to hide her “flaw.”

American psychologist Philip Zimbardo noticed that people who fear personal contacts with others literally strive to protect themselves. When sitting down in the dining room on empty seats, they move the neighboring chairs further away or try to clutter them with some personal belongings in order to prevent the approach of a possible interlocutor. This strategy occurs quite often, and any of us can observe it in a similar situation. Thus, the desire to maintain a respectful distance is a sure sign of insufficient self-confidence and increased anxiety. And vice versa - a calm, self-confident person is less concerned about the inviolability of “their borders.” An assertive, aggressive person is inclined to physically expand his boundaries in the literal sense: this is evidenced, for example, by elongated or widely spaced elbows, legs, sweeping gestures touching surrounding objects and people.

A number of experiments have found that people who are prone to using brute force have a wider intimate sphere, which can be twice as large as that of other people. This explains why they begin to sense an approaching threat much earlier and, accordingly, resort to protective measures much earlier.

3. Social distance.

Close spacing: 120-210 cm People working together tend to use close social distance. Far interval - from 210 to 350 cm. This is the distance that people stand when someone tells them: “Stand so I can look at you.”

We deal with social distancing mainly in the sphere of business relationships. Involuntarily, the dimensions of this distance are established when there is a dining table or a desk between the interlocutors. At such a distance from each other, all conversations take place, during which there is no attempt to establish close relationships, and the conversation is more about this or that matter than about a person. At the same distance, conversations take place about problems that are not of immediate concern and are considered abstractly, “from the outside.”

4. Public distance.

Close interval: 350-750 cm. Far interval: more than 750 cm. This is exactly the distance at which speakers are usually located from their listeners. The boundaries of a public or common area allow people to be observed without any embarrassment, especially those who expose themselves. This is also possible because the person being watched from such a distance can be sure that such observation will not develop into an attack. The attacker would have to cover quite a long distance first. In addition, various details and little things that they want to hide from others cannot be seen at such a distance. The gaze of an observer at a great distance does not provoke the appearance of any defense mechanisms or defensive body language.

It should be borne in mind that distances differ markedly among different nations. American researcher E. Hall conducted an interesting experiment. In a business conversation, he pitted unfamiliar indigenous citizens of his country against typical representatives of Latin American countries. Based on the results of the conversation, the interlocutors’ perceptions of each other were clarified. Hall found that during the conversation, Latinos involuntarily sought to get closer to their partner, while US citizens kept moving away. Subsequently, analyzing his first impression of a new acquaintance, the North American thought about the Latino: how intrusive, unceremonious, and pretending to establish close relationships. And the representative of the Latin American country also sincerely believed that the Yankees were arrogant, indifferent, and too official. In fact, differences in traditional zonal norms had an effect. The distance of business communication customary in the United States seems prohibitively large to Latin Americans, since from childhood they have learned the norm accepted in their countries to approach the interlocutor almost closely.

In 1973, under the leadership of A.A. Leontiev carried out a special study of proxemic zones in a Russian-speaking group. It gave the following results. Personal distance (casual conversation in a home environment) for those sitting is on average 120 cm. This distance noticeably decreases in communication between young women (55-100 cm interval) and increases between young and older women (125-230 cm), and between men all ages are the same, approximately 70-156 cm.

An attempt to determine social distance did not lead to any convincing result, as a huge scatter was discovered (from 30 to 840 cm). It was only recorded that once the accepted distance between those communicating does not change in the future. In general, it seems that in the Russian community the system of zones itself is not so stable and depends more on various not spatial, but situational factors.

The choice of distance depends on the relationship between people (as a rule, people stand closer to those with whom they sympathize) and on the individual characteristics of the person (for example, introverts do not tolerate too close a distance). It is important that the distance also changes depending on external situational factors, for example, on the size of the room. All this demonstrates the importance and power of distance and proves that, as with other aspects of body language, everyone can benefit from becoming more sensitive to the nuances of the position we occupy in relation to the interlocutor.

Crowding of people at concerts, in transport and in elevators leads to inevitable invasion of each other's intimate areas. There are a number of rules for behavior in crowded conditions

of people. In practice, people do not always follow them, but nevertheless they should be remembered:

it is not advisable to talk, even with friends;
It is not recommended to look directly at others;
the face must be impartial - no display of emotions;
if you have a book or newspaper in your hands, then you should be completely immersed in reading;
the more crowded the vehicle or room, the more restrained your movements should be;
In the elevator, you should only look at the floor indicator.

Proxemic behavior includes not only distance, but also the mutual orientation of people in space. Friends are nearby, participants in a business conversation are across the corner of the table, competitors are across the table. has a significant impact on the nature and productivity of communication .

The options for arranging conversation participants in a work office with a standard rectangular table are as follows:

Item name	Schematic illustration	Comments
1.Corner location	Characteristic for casual, friendly conversation
2.Position of business interaction	Promotes productive discussion and development of common solutions
3.Competing position	Creates an atmosphere of competition or indicates a relationship of official subordination
4.Independent position	Characteristic of people who do not want to communicate

The creation of a psychological atmosphere for business communication is significantly influenced not only by the location of the interlocutors at the table, but also by the shape of the tables themselves. Square tables are good for holding a short business conversation between equal partners. Rectangular tables are often used to emphasize chain of command. In this case, the person with the highest status is usually located at the head of the table, facing the front door. It has been found that cooperative relationships are more established with those people who sit next to each other at the table. And opposition is easier to organize with the person sitting opposite. Therefore, at a meeting, employees who aspire to a higher position are seated closer to the manager. A round (or oval) table creates an atmosphere of informality and ease, and it is best to hold conversations with people of the same social status. The status of an office visitor is reduced if there is a large long table between him and the boss, or if the manager is in a huge chair with a high back. A person experiences a lot of tension if he sits with his back to a door, window, or open space, so it is advisable to seat the guest with his back to the wall.

Proxemics - essence

For the first time, the famous anthropologist Edward Hall Jr. spoke about proxemics as a separate science in the 50s of the last century. As the founder of the theory of intercultural communications, Hall listed all the basic concepts and principles that psychologists now use to describe proxemic interactions in society.

The main postulate is that any movements of people in the process of communication are not random and depend on the attitude of people to each other, as well as on their belonging to a particular culture. A person perceives the space closest to him as his personal territory, and can react aggressively to intrusion

Therefore, when choosing a specific means for non-verbal manipulation of human behavior, reasonable caution should be observed: it is necessary to carry out both the choice of distance and the relative position of the interlocutors, to know the characteristics of different cultures

Edward Hall identified four zones surrounding each individual. Let's take a closer look at them.

The emergence of proxemics

The author of the term “proxemics” is Edward Hall, an American psychologist and anthropologist. The scientist noticed that each person has his own personal space, which he unconsciously tries to organize in a way that is comfortable for himself. In 1969, E. Hall wrote a book called “The Silent Language,” in which he described the characteristics of relationships between people, expressed in varying distances between interlocutors. Here, for the first time, the definition of the concept of “proxemics” in psychology was given: this is a type of nonverbal communication characterized by the distance between communicating people.

Nonverbal communication and the difference between proxemics and kinesics

Oral communication is that which is based on signs and linguistic symbols conveyed through the spoken word. On the other hand, non-verbal communication is that which is established by non-verbal signs, which usually convey information about character, personality or mood.

These latter signs may include, for example, crying, laughing, screaming (which are paralinguistic signs); or they may involve gestures, signs, or facial expressions (which are kinesthetic cues). Both types of signs, paralinguistic and kinesthetic, are elements of basic nonverbal communication. But there is another type of nonverbal communication that is more complex because it involves cultural and social elements that determine how we use the body and space, and even time, to convey information in different contexts and situations.

The latter are the proxemic system (whose features are mainly habits related to the use of space, such as the distances we maintain between us, depending on whether we are at home with our partner or in the office with colleagues); and the chronico-system (which mainly studies the perception and use of time in different cultures).

That is, the difference between proxemic and kinesthetic is that the former refers to non-verbal communication established by the physical distances we establish when related to each other; and kinésica - nonverbal communication that is established through bodily movements such as gestures, as well as proprioception.

How to protect yourself from crowding stress?

To reduce stress levels, psychologists recommend distancing yourself from an unpleasant situation. How to do it? It turns out that you don’t even need to work hard. The fact is that our psyche can independently switch us.

Each person has their own defensive reactions. Remember how we react when we see an unpleasant picture - we close our eyes and turn away. This will happen in a crowded subway car - we will want to close our eyes. If the sounds bother you, you will want to wear headphones. You can also take a closed pose (cross your arms and legs). In this state, a person almost does not perceive incoming information and is protected from external influences. And that means from stress.

Our psyche adapts to any stimuli and guides us itself. Perhaps you have noticed that when you find yourself in a crowded space, a hand with a phone or tablet (depending on what you are holding in your hand) involuntarily rises in front of your body. Thus, any object in your hand that you hold in front of you reduces the level of tension.

Listening to music and reading in crowded transport also help reduce the level of emotional stress.

Thus, to prevent crowding stress, you need:

Having a personal space where you can have privacy.
Self-regulation skills (ability to calm yourself, switch attention);
Time and opportunity to switch. If you feel that people have become annoying, then you should not go to a noisy event or to a large store, but take a walk alone, be with your thoughts and feelings. Or agree with your household so that, for example, once a week you will not be disturbed (for a day or several hours).

Nonverbal communication

Definition 2

Nonverbal communication is a system of signs and symbols that is used to convey a message and intended for its most perfect awareness, which to a certain extent does not depend on the psychological and socio-psychological properties of the individual, which has a fairly clear range of meanings and can be presented as a specific sign system.

People need non-verbal means of communication to clearly understand each other. Naturally, nonverbal manifestations relate only to oral communication. Since the external nonverbal expression of feelings and emotions performed by the body is also represented by a certain set of signs and symbols, it is often called “body language.”

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Nonverbal communication consists of two large groups: extralinguistic and paralinguistic means of communication.

Paralinguistic group:

Prosody. This group is supposed to include components that complement speech. These are the timbre, strength and depth of the voice, the amount of expressiveness of articulation, stress, length and nature of pauses, etc. In other words, means of the prosodic level make it possible to impart a nuance to information by influencing the voice.
Kinesics is a complex of body movements (gestures, facial expressions) that are used during human communication (excluding movements of the speech apparatus).
Graphemics is a way of writing that conveys a person’s emotions and feelings. The manner of writing words and letters may change depending on the emotional background. So, say, an angry person presses his pen hard on the paper, but a thoughtful person may make mistakes and forget to complete the “hooks.”

Note 1

Paralinguistic means of communication cannot be used without reference to speech.

Extralinguistic group:

Takeshiki is a non-verbal means of communication that is based on tangible signals transmitted by people to each other. These include kissing, hugging, patting, stroking, shaking hands and other communicative actions.
Proxemics. Interlocutors in the process of interaction can be located at a distance or close to each other, deliberately or subconsciously exercising distance control. The method of organizing contact in space, which reflects the relationship of the interlocutors to each other, is called proxemics.
Chronemics. Distribution of time during communication. A person may be in a hurry to get to a meeting, or he may put off the call. He can wait a long time for the interlocutor to become free, or he can reduce the contact time.
Extralinguistics. Conveying emotions with the support of the voice, but without reference to speech. These means include dissatisfied rumbling, coughing, sighs, screams, etc.
Sensory. Perception of the interlocutor using the senses. A person responds to the smell, the tenderness of the skin during touch and the visual perception of the interlocutor. There are also separate subgroups here. An example here would be olfactory means of communication (perception through smell) and phonation means of communication (hearing perception).

There is no need to learn non-verbal communication, as these are innate skills.

What does distance in communication mean?

How far away are people from each other when they communicate with each other? A person with experience can already draw important conclusions from this about how people interact with each other, what topics are discussed and who has what status. People usually maintain (or build) distance in communication unconsciously, but it is useful to pay attention to it and sometimes do it consciously.

When you talk, the distance between you should be acceptable to the other person and consistent with your communication goals. Forty centimeters between you or forty meters - sometimes this is the decisive circumstance that determines the success or failure of a conversation. If you are too far away from the other person in purely spatial terms, he will feel a lack of contact and you will appear to him as someone who is cold or unfriendly towards him. On the contrary, too little distance makes him feel that he is being pressured, that you are annoying and intrusive.

How do you determine if it is “too far” or “too close”? First of all, the distance in communication is determined by the topic (genre) of the conversation. Distance of official negotiations - from 3.6 m. Distance of business conversation: 1.2 m - 3.6 m. Distance of personal conversation: 45 cm - 1.2 m. In Russian culture, where business relationships are always mixed with personal ones, the distance of business communication is usually shorter and often does not differ from the distance of a personal conversation.

When you shake hands, say hello, talk and get into a very personal conversation, remember that the intimate communication distance is: 15 – 45 cm: from the “ear” to the length of the elbow.

How do you answer the question: where is the distance between interlocutors greater - in a small room or in a large hall? In the corner of the room or in the middle of the room? The correct answer here is... (People maintain greater interpersonal distance in small spaces or in the corner of a room than when they are in large spaces or in the center of the room).

How communication distance is affected by liking: We are willing to put less distance between ourselves and those we like, and we assume that they have similar interests and values. An important practical conclusion follows from this: if you want to demonstrate closeness to a person, try to reduce the distance between you, but if after your next microstep (or bow) in his direction he takes the same microstep back or simultaneously leans away from you, then you are at the limit of the distance acceptable to him.

Acceptable for now. Perhaps after a few minutes his idea of the acceptable distance between you will change, especially if you adapt to the posture, gestures, breathing or topic of conversation of your interlocutor. At the same time, if in some situation you feel a business partner’s resistance to your desire to shorten the distance, do not rush to conclusions: it is not obvious that he has little affection for you, it may be in his general attitude towards people.

Distance is related to status: The more important and significant he feels, the more he will insist on long distance.

In the office of the top officials, in order to emphasize the greatness of its owner, the largest table is used, which will definitely stand between you.

The conversation distance is influenced by a person's neatness, especially his smell. A pleasant smell helps to shorten the distance, such a person attracts the interlocutor, and if someone does not take care of themselves, does not brush their teeth or does not undergo treatment, the distance of communication with him will be longer, and the contact will be shorter.

Life experience, personal and national characteristics to a certain extent influence the communication distance. It is known that Southerners naturally communicate over a shorter distance than, for example, “hot Finnish guys” and other Scandinavians. In terms of age, preschoolers demonstrate personal distance preferences and variations as early as 2 years of age. For school-age children, interpersonal distance increases until approximately 12 years of age, when it reaches the distance of an adult.

Proxemics as a means of communication - what is it in psychology