IRWLE VOL. 8 No.

January 2012

Proxemics: The Study of Space

O.Minu Agnus
Thousand of experiences teach us, that space communicates
E.T.Hall (1990 p 161)
The search for the lingual foundations of human culture will lead
to non verbal communication without which the diversity and
sophistication of todays language system would be impossible. While
commenting on the significance of non verbal communication in the
evolution of human language, Harrison and Crounch (1972) suggest that
in the development of each human being, non verbal communication
precedes and perhaps structures all subsequent communication. (p 77).
When our communication is supplemented by the aspects of non
verbal cues, like facial expression, gestures etc- its message paired with
the lexical content, makes the interpretation of the senders meaning
complete. Albert Mehrabian, a professor of Psychology, estimates that
55% of the impact of a message, which reaches the listener, is through
the non verbal mode. With his experiments he suggests,
Total impact (in the listener) = (0.07
+ 0.55 Non Verbal) of the speaker (p 53)

verbal

0.38

Vocal

Today many studies have been conducted, to understand the

various aspects of non verbal communication. The scholars, in this field
have brought out the various classifications regarding the types, factors
and the influences of the non verbal communication.
Knapps (1971), one of the scholars in this field has classified non
verbal communication in the following way.
Environmental
Factor

It consists of elements such as

furniture, architectural style, lighting, smells,
colors and temperature.

Proxemics

It is defined as the use and perception

of ones social and personal space, such as in
seating and spatial arrangements.

Kinesics

It is defined as body motions that

include gestures, body movements, postures,
facial and eye behaviors.

Touching
Behavior

It deals with the touching behavior of

an individual

Physical
Characteristic

It comprises of personal characteristics

such as physique, breath odor, height,
weight, hair and skin color.

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January 2012

Paralanguage

It
consists
of
nonverbal
cues
surrounding speech, such as pitch, volume,
tempo and intensity of the voice.

Artifacts

The manipulated objects that are in

contact with the interacting persons such as
perfume, clothes, lipstick, hair pieces,
eyeglasses and miscellaneous beauty aids.

Among seven different aspects mentioned above, Proxemics has

attracted many researches belonging to multiple disciplines like Culture,
Psychology, Architecture etc. The Proxemics behavior becomes an
important field of study as it widens the research in the area of non
verbal communication.
The term Proxemics - denoting, The study of how human beings
communicate through their use of space- was coined by E.T.Hall, an
Anthropoligist by profession. He defines the term as, The spatial
dimension of non verbal behavior (Hall 1963; p 122). It has created a
revolution in this field and has given a new dimension to the study of
non verbal communication. He popularized this theory through his two
books entitled The Silent Language (1959) and The Hidden Dimension
(1966) which brought him a great fame.
As we all know, Humans are territorial animals, everyday people
claim space, built on it and this way, mark their territory (Hall 1989; p:
59). For an instance, a student feels uncomfortable in a class, when he
finds his seat to be taken by someone else. This gives a vulnerable
feeling that someone has invaded his/her personal space or territory.
This, in general shows that the people are anchored in space and have
developed a strong sense of territory.
Blyth, an expert in the field, while talking about Proxemics states
that, Hall sets forth a theory about how people react to others at various
distances from their own bodies, indicating thereby a sense of
territoriality, similar to that shown by animals or birds and develops
notation for this purpose. (Blyth 1976; p 117)
In simple words, Proxemics can be defined as the study of means
in which individuals make use of the physical space in the interaction
between the individuals. Each and every organism in the universe tries to
occupy, cultivate, preserve and utilize space. This process of owning the
space by above said means differ from culture to culture. People often
feel uncomfortable when operating in the spaces different from those in
which they are familiar.
There are three fundamental areas with which the experts in the
field categorize Proxemics
1.Distance

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January 2012

2.Spaces
3.Modes of behavior and perception
A brief description of the above said fundamental areas of
Proxemics as follows:
1.DISTANCE:
Based on observation in social situations, Hall classifies the
distance as,
a) Intimate
e Distance (0
(0-1.5 ft) - This zone is mainly for non
verbal communication. Only the intimate people like members of the
family and friends can enter into it. It is considered improper for the
public places.
b) Personal Distance (1.5 ft
ft- 3 ft) This zone is popularly known
as the Bubble
and it is meant for the people who are well known
to us. It varies in different
cultures and depends on individuals
personality and the style of communication.
c) Social Distance (4 ft
ft-11 ft) This zone is meant
ant for general
gatherings and business meetings or generally interacting with someone
who is not particularly well known.
d) Public Distance (12 ft
ft-25ft) In this zone only public
interaction is possible. It demands louder voice, more formal style of
language
guage and reduced speech rate.

Source:
Source: Edward Hall Proxemics Diagram showing radius in feet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Personal_Space.svg
2.SPACE

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January 2012

The representation of space is only briefly dealt within Halls

Proxemics. He distinguishes three categories of space.
a) Fixed Feature Space: This space is formed by walls and
territorial buildings. For example Houses, Buildings, Cities,
Class rooms etc. The use of the class room space could either
make the students comfortable or uncomfortable, feel
motivated or demotivated.
b) Semi fixed space: This category of space is more important in
interpersonal communication. In this, the objects are already
fixed and the position of the objects and the space resulted
provide details on the nature of the interaction as well as the
status of the participants. This category of space is sub divided
into two. They are,

Sociofugal Space: It keeps the people away from

the process of communication. It transmits
connotative meanings such as large, cold,
impersonal and so on.

Sociopetal Space: It brings the people together

and stimulates involvement in the process of
communication

In their book Small Group and Team Communication, Thomas

E. Harris and John C. Sherblom suggest us some ways in which seating
arrangements can be used to facilitate communication between the
members.
Individuals sitting across a table from each other maximize their
interpersonal distance, increase their potential for sending and
receiving both verbal and nonverbal messages and thus perhaps
conflicting messages, and increase the likelihood of becoming
competitive. Sitting with a corner of the table between participants
reduces interpersonal distance, focuses attention on the project
and materials rather than on the individuals non verbals, and
may help enhance the cooperativeness of the participants. Sitting
side by side reduces the interpersonal distance still farther and,
unless that interpersonal distance is too intimate to feel
comfortable, may also be a cooperative seating arrangement (118)
These types of seating arrangements are displayed in the following
diagram illustrated in figure 6.1 in Harris and Sherbloms book Small
Group and Team Communication:

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January 2012

c) Informal Space: This refers to the private space which people

maintain when they interact. According to Hall, informal
spatial patterns have distinct bounds and such deep if
unvoiced, significance that they form an essential part of
culture. To misunderstand this significance may invite
disaster. (Hall 1959; p: 112).
3. MODES OF BEHAVIOR AND PERCEPTION
The third fundamental area describes the eight variables of
Proxemics behavior identified by Hall which acts as an extension of the
research in this field. They are,
1.

2.

3.

4.

Postural-Sex
Identifier

It refers to the postural status and sex

identities of the participants in the
interaction

Sociofugal
and It refers to the positioning of ones
Sociopetal Axis
shoulders
and
face
which
will
encourage or discourage the process of
communication.
Kinesthetic
Factor

It refers to the distance between the

individuals which provides capability to
touch each other.

Touch Code

It deals with the individuals manner of

touching one another

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January 2012

Visual Code

It refers to the eye contact with

reference to the space between the
individuals.

Voice Loudness

It refers to the loudness of the voice

with reference to the space between the
individuals.

Thermal Code

It refers to the heat transmitted from

the individuals bodies with reference to
the space.

Olfaction Code

It refers to the individuals degree of

breath and odors that can be felt by the
other individual standing next to him.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Thus, the understanding of the above mentioned eight variables of

the Proxemic behavior gives an ability to read the behavior of the
participant in an interaction.
Conclusion:
Proxemic research is based on the concept of territoriality.
Territoriality is a basic concept in the study of animal behaviour. It is
defined as behaviour by which an organism characteristically lays claim
to an area and defends it against members of its own and other species.
Most individuals are generally unaware of the norms of Proxemic
behavior within their culture, but they do become conscious of them
when these norms are violated or when they notice differences in spatial
behavior due to the norms of foreign culture.
In nutshell, this paper explains the scope of research that can be
done in this field. Since, the study of space plays a significant role in
social, cultural and economic spheres of the world, the researchers in
this field have to be encouraged to understand the above said disciplines
at a wider perspective. This will, for sure, dispel the myth hidden in the
field of Proxemics for a decade (Baldassare and Susan Feller 1975; p:
496).
WORKS CITED
Hall Edward T (1959), The Silent Language, Doubleday, Garden City.
Hall Edward T (1968), Proxemics, University of Chicago, Chicago.
Hall Edward T (1963), Proxemics: The Study of Mans Spatial Relations
and Boundaries, Mans image in Medicine and Anthropology,
International University Press, New York.
Hall Edward T et al. (1968), Proxemics Comments and Replies, Current
Anthropology, Vol. 9, University of Chicago, Chicago.

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January 2012

Hall Edward T (1971), The Hidden Dimension, University of Chicago,

Chicago.
Blyth, W A L (1976), Nonverbal Elements in Education: Some New
Perspectives, British Journal of Educational Studies. Vol. 24, No. 2, pp.
109-126.
Knapp M L (19780, Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction,
Rinehart & Winston, Holt, New York.
Mark Baldassare and Susan Feller (1975), Cultural Variations in Personal
Space: Theory, Methods and Evidence, Ethos, Vol. 3, No.4, pp. 481-550.
Mehrabian A (1968), Communication Wthout Words, Psychology Today,
Vol. 2, No. 9, pp. 52-55.
Mehrabian A (1971), Silent Messages, Wadsworth Publishing Company,
California.
Prabhu T (2010), Proxemics: Some Challenges and Strategies in
Nonverbal Communication, The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol 4, No. 3,
pp. 7-14.
Harrison R P et al. (1972), The Nonverbal communication Literature,
The Journal Communication, Vol. 22, pp. 460-476.
Harris et al. (2010), Small Group and Team Communication, Allyn and
Bacon, Massachusetts.
O.Minu Agnus M.A., M.Phil., M.B.A., (Ph.D),
Asst. Professor in English,
Vels University,
Chennai 600117
Tamil Nadu, India.