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2009934667 Chapter 3 Nonverbal Communication 75 Culture and Space When people from different cultural backgrounds come into contact, they may assume they have the same concept of space. This, of course, is not true. In fact, “cultures can be distinguished by the distances at which members interact and how frequently members touch.” 81 It has been proposed that there are contact cultures—those characterized by tactile modes of communication (e.g., Latin Americans, Mediterraneans, French, Arabs)—and noncontact cultures (Germans, Japanese, English, North Americans). 82 Although heterosexual men in the United States and England rarely touch other men, except in times of great emotion (such as athletic game victories) or for shaking hands when welcoming or meeting someone, arm linking between two men is common in Turkey, Morocco, and many Latin American countries. 83 Even within our own culture, the space bubble varies according to our emotional state and the activity. Although European Americans usually keep well beyond the three-foot personal circle of space, this can change very quickly. If you are on a crowded bus and someone presses against you, you may tolerate it. If, however, you are standing at a bus stop and someone presses against you, you will probably object. This situation brings into play your idea of public distance. Your emotional state also can change your idea of space. For instance, when some people are angry, they may grab someone by the front of the shirt, step in close, get “nose to nose,” and shout. Space Distances An examination of space distances allows for an understanding of space as it relates to culture. Everyone has spatial needs. Studies of the space We can often get clues about a relationship by noticing whether the person allows us to use his or her intimate space. Communicating: A Social and Career Focus, Tenth Edition, by Roy M. Berko, Andrew D. Wolvin, and Darlyn R. Wolvin. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2007 by <strong>Pearson</strong> Education, Inc.
76 Part One Foundations of Communication 18 in. Intimate distance FIGURE 3.5 Space Distances 18 in. to 4 ft 4 ft to 12 ft 12 ft to 25 ft Personal distance Social distance Public distance distances as they relate to white middle-class Americans indicate that there are four classifications that explain their spatial needs: intimate, personal, social, and public (see Figure 3.5). 84 Intimate distance covers a space varying from direct physical contact with another person to a distance of eighteen inches. It is used for our most private activities: caressing, making love, and sharing intimate ideas and emotions. We can often get clues about a relationship by noticing whether the other person allows us to use his intimate space. For example, if you have been on a hand-holding/ physically touching basis with someone, and suddenly he or she will not let you near or pulls away when you get very close, a change in the congruency patterns of the relationship may have occurred. If a non-toucher suddenly encourages close body proximity, this also may indicate a change in attitude. Personal distance, eighteen inches to four feet, is sometimes called the comfort bubble. Most European Americans feel most comfortable keeping at this distance when talking with others, and invasion of this personal territory will cause us to back away. If we are backed into a corner, sitting in a chair, or somehow trapped, we will lean away, pull in, and tense up. To avoid invasion of our territory, we might place a leg on the rung of a chair or on a stair. Some of us even arrange furniture so that no one can invade our territory. For example, businesspeople may place their desks so that employees must sit on one side and the boss on the other. In contrast, interviewers have reported a completely different atmosphere when talking to job applicants if the two chairs are placed facing each other about three to four feet apart instead of on opposite sides of the desk. Social distance covers a four- to twelve-foot zone that is used during business transactions and casual social exchanges. Also part of social distance is the standingseated interaction, in which the person in control stands and the other person sits. Standing-seated positions occur, among others, in teacher-pupil and police officer– arrestee transactions. Public distance may dictate a separation of as little as twelve feet, but it is usually more than twenty-five. It is used by professors in lecture rooms and speakers at public gatherings as well as by public figures who wish to place a barrier between themselves and their audiences. An important aspect of proxemics is the arrangement of seating and how people are spaced at meetings and in homes. Small-Group Ecology The physical placement of members of small groups in relation to one another has an effect on their behavior. This small-group ecology, which includes the placement of chairs, the placement of the person conducting a meeting, and the setting for a small-group encounter, clearly influences the Communicating: A Social and Career Focus, Tenth Edition, by Roy M. Berko, Andrew D. Wolvin, and Darlyn R. Wolvin. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2007 by <strong>Pearson</strong> Education, Inc. 2009934667
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chapter 3 - Pearson Learning Solutions

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