Personal Zone Research

Christopher “Ludacris” Brian Bridges once said, “Get back motherf*cker! You don’t know me like that!” and like Mr. Bridges, we all have our own sense of appropriate space when interacting with the people we encounter in our daily lives. Edward T. Hall, an American anthropologist, studied the phenomena of ‘personal space’ and devised a term for our interactions and reactions within this space, called ‘Proxemics’. Proxemics is defined by The Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the study of the nature, degree, and effect of the spatial separation individuals naturally maintain (as in various social and interpersonal situations) and of how this separation relates to environmental and cultural factors”. Hall, in his research, partitioned the area …show more content…
This zone spans between 18 inches and 4 feet of space. Usually reserved only for those regarded as close friends and family, entrance to the Personal Zone marks a certain bestowment of trust and kinship. In the mall scenario, most groups of people walk, stand, and sit near the edge of this zone. It shows that they are a close group and helps them to feel more comfortable while surrounded by strangers. Many groups could be seen talking relaxedly, joking, and bantering amongst themselves. An interesting observation I made when it came to the personal zone revolved around the fast food employees in the food court who were tasked with handing out free samples. This is a case where strangers willingly enter into each other’s Personal Zone in order to complete a social transaction and thus have to deal with the awkwardness of that violation of each’s comfort zone. Many people handled the transfer in different ways. Some choosing to approach at an angle so as to avoid a face-to-face encounter, some overcompensating by being overtly loud during the hand off, one man even attempted to take a sample without breaking stride (likely to minimize the time spent within the Personal Zone) but only succeeded in dropping the piece of teriyaki chicken and toothpick to the ground. I noted that groups of women seemed most comfortable while in this zone, choosing to stand close together while speaking and sitting with one another. I would …show more content…
As its name suggests, the Intimate Zone is the most protected of the zones, occupying the area from skin-to-skin contact to around 18 inches out. This zone is reserved only for the closest of family, the most trusted of friends, and those we deem our significant others, with very few exceptions. Occupation of the Intimate Zone activates our basest responses to stimuli, for better or worse. Commonly seen around the mall were parents carrying young children, held firmly within the Intimate Zone as a way of protecting and nurturing, but also as a way of strengthening bonds and as reassurance. Couples spend much time within the Intimate Zone as well. Whether it’s holding hands as they walk, sitting shoulder to shoulder sharing lo mein noodles (as one observed couple was), or stealing a quick hug and kiss, couples have cornered the market on the Intimate Zone. Often, too much time spent in this zone in public can result in someone calling for the two of you to “get a room”. An exception I noticed to the exclusivity of the Intimate Zone was the mall masseuses stationed at the far end of the building. Here, individuals pay strangers to deliver a (hopefully) relaxing massage by coming into their intimate space, an act that would, under other circumstances, put an individual on the defensive and cause a great deal of