Man is a social being. This has been known since ancient Greece, where the most severe punishment was expulsion from the community. Man cannot live outside the environment. Thus, social communication within society is an indispensable mechanism through which people interact with each other. This theory was put forward by Greek and Roman orators and philosophers. However, the scientists of that time did not understand how to correlate the personal with the public. After all, human relations are based not only on public relations. Anyone who understands the relationship between the personal side and the public, will be able to comprehend the sacrament of communication, which opens up many opportunities. The art of communication is the true goal of social psychology. In the process of studying this issue, patterns, types, forms, methods of study, etc. appeared. Subsequently, all these elements gave rise to a special branch of social psychology - proxemics.
Proxemics Industry Overview
In the 50s there lived a well-known anthropologist named Edward Hall. He studied the interaction of the personal space of a person with the surrounding social environment. The scientist put forward the theory that each person organizes his personal space, in the same way as he organizes a micro-subject space, the structure of his home, the urban environment. In other words, our personal directly affects the public. Studying this issue allowed us to reach a new level of understanding of relationships between people. Thus, proxemics is a branch of social psychology that studies the temporary and symbolic system of communication between people. Science deduces the principles and patterns of remote non-verbal communication.
Proxemics and communication ethics
Of course, the ethical side of relationships between people is directly related to psychology. However, some scholars directly identify proxemics and communication ethics, which in no case should be done. These two sciences have something in common, but in general they are fundamentally different. The ethics of communication allows us to understand the cultural side of communication, which provides a deep understanding between the interlocutors. The proxemic task is somewhat different. She is engaged in a deep study of the process of non-verbal communication itself, taking as a basis the remoteness of the interlocutors from each other. Thanks to the knowledge gained in the process of developing ethical and proxemic theories, people invented the real art of communication.
The role of personal and intersubjective space in communication
The foundation of all social psychology is the distance between the subjects of communication. Given the ethical side, which was discussed above, all people obey a single system of interpersonal contact. This fundamental theory has also been put forward by Edward Hall. The scientist suggested that, regardless of the cultural characteristics of a person of a particular nation, anyone has his own personal territory, which he determines for himself. It follows that the distance between the interlocutors is the most important factor affecting the communication process. According to the scientist himself, the remoteness of subjects is most important during the perceptual stage, when the interlocutors only begin to understand each other. As we can see, proxemics study distance in the process of interpersonal communication.
The main intersubject zones
Today, in social psychology, personality zones that proxemics study are distinguished.
This is a list of distances according to which people establish interpersonal contact:
1) Intimate - inherent only to relatives or very close people who do not want to devote others to their conversation (0 - 0.5m).
2) Personal - this distance is supported by all people in everyday life (0.5 - 1.2 m).
3) Social - a communication zone for formal and social meetings (1.2 - 3.66 m).
4) Public - this distance is chosen during public events.
Intimate distance
The distance between people, taking into account the intimate distance, is no more than 45 centimeters. This allows you to exchange personal thoughts and opinions without fear that other people will hear them. When people communicate in an intimate zone, words do not really matter. Non-verbal factors play the most important role: sight, movement, touch.
Most clearly, the effect of the intimate zone is visible between the spouses.
People dissatisfied with their marriage will always be at a distance that significantly exceeds 0.5 meters. The exact opposite picture can be seen between happy couples.
It should be noted that the boundaries of the intimate zone may vary for each person. For example, people who are prone to using brute force create an intimate zone of a larger radius for themselves than other people. A similar situation arises from the constant readiness of rude and cruel people to danger.
Personal Area
At this distance, more communication takes place in everyday life. This is a zone of normal relationships between people. A close woman, for example, a wife, may well violate the boundaries of this zone. The same actions by an outsider will look, to put it mildly, unusual. Compliance with the personal boundaries of communication indicates the presence of tact in a person. The longer the interlocutors are in the personality zone, the stronger they become attached to each other.
Such a distance is a key step in achieving the best intimate contact. Clear and thoughtful actions in the personal area will ensure long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation between the participants in communication.
Social and public distance
Despite the importance of the personal and intimate zones, 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 highlight 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 with excellent control over public and social distances are always good speakers.
Modern proxemics
Today, proxemics is one of the most popular branches of social psychology. Scientists everywhere conduct the study and development of new theories in this field of knowledge. Proxemics in communication is a whole new level in the process of studying interpersonal relationships. The ability to apply the knowledge of this branch of psychology will allow to establish better contact with people much better and faster. The more knowledge a person has in the field of proxemics, the faster he learns the art of communication.