Have you ever been standing in a line and someone stands so
close they’re breathing down your neck? Or has someone ever looked over your
shoulder while you’re texting? If that makes you feel uncomfortable that is normal,
that person is inside your personal “bubble”. The term for this is called proxemics. Proxemics
is a form of non-verbal communication between others about how they perceive and/or
use their space. Anthropologist, Edward Hall introduced the meaning and the four
categories behind proxemics in the 1960s. I will be giving some examples for a
better understanding on how we use the four categories of proxemics in our
daily lives.
Up close and personal between 0”-18” is your intimate zone. Usually a person that is inside of the
intimate zone is a loved one or friend, but there are the few exceptions when a
person is too close for comfort. A perfect example of this would be when a person has come up to talk to you and as the conversation progresses so does their
face getting closer to yours. They think it’s comfortable, but you may think “back
up please!”
Following the intimate zone is the personal zone between 18”-48”. Imagine standing in a line to buy a ticket for your favorite movie with a group of friends. Throughout the group’s conversation in the line, it never becomes too intimate or secretive. Reason being, someone standing in front of you or behind you may be able to hear the content of the conversation.
Walking down the sidewalk and you see your friend across the street. You wave to them and maybe exchange a few words, but you never get super close to them. This would be the social zone within 48” all the way up to 12’. You can casually have a conversation with a person in public, but you have the opportunity to choose how far you would like to be from that person during the conversation.
Sketch by me
Imagine yourself slowly walking down the stairs to the train station. Soon
your personal space becomes invaded by hundreds of people. There is not one
person too close but many far and near. This is the public zone it can range
from 12’ and on. Typically, in the public zone it is little to no interaction
with other individuals. Walking through a train station I would not be able to
tell you what shoes someone was wearing twenty feet from me.
Video taken by me
Personal space is valued by every individual, including
myself. By respecting these zones, we are silently respecting the people in our
surroundings.
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