Refelctive Journal 3
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COMM324Fall2018October29thSlides.pptxProxemics & Haptics
Agenda
Attendance/Questions
Personal Behavior Change Project
Activities
Discussion Groups
Proxemics & Haptics
Next Steps
Personal Behavior Change Project
Proxemics & Haptics
Proxemics:
Our Perceptions & Use Of Space
Haptics (“Tactile Communication”):
Touch Behavior
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Key Points
Control
Trust
Unique
Necessary
These 2 nonverbal codes are unique in the fact the we desire to have the most control over them. For most of us, we want to have a say with how close we are to someone and how we are touched.
Both Codes relate to how much we trust those around us (based on cultural experiences, life experience, biology, and societal rules
Unique-Our experiences are unique to us and no two people perceive proxemics and haptics in the same way.
Most People Need a Balance of These 2 Codes In Order To Survive But There Are Sensitive Boundaries That Need To Be Followed.
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Activities
What Am I Touching?
Touching Tasks
Circle of Trusting Touch
Getting Closer & Closer
Reflect On The Exercises We Just Completed. Which Was Your Favorite? Least Favorite? Why?
How Did It Feel Having Someone Touch You When You Were Blindfolded or Couldn’t See? Did You Feel Safe? When You Weren’t Blindfolded, What Did You Observe From Others & How They Were Using Touch & Proxemics?
Do You Consider Yourself To Be A Person Who Enjoys Physical Touch? From Everyone? Family? Relationships? How Physical/Touchy Was Your Family Growing Up? Do You Think That Those Experiences Shaped How You Feel About Touch Today? Why Or Why Not?
What Nonverbal Messages Can We Communicate With Physical Touch?
What Are Some Societal Rules Regarding Space? How Close Is Too Close For You?
How Do You Mark Your Territory And Personal Space? At Your Home? In A Classroom? In A Public Space? How Do You React When Someone Comes Into Your Territory? Describe A Time When Someone Invaded Your “Personal Space”
Tactile Communication
Touch Is One Of The Most Powerful Nonverbal Codes We Can Send Someone.
Touch Is Closely Linked With Our Emotions and Internal Feelings (Sexual Interest, Emotional Intimacy, Aggression, etc.)
Most Are Very Sensitive To Touch and It Can Easily Be Misinterpreted Which Is Why We Have “Touch Rules”
Physical touch or haptics is an incredibly powerful form of nonverbal communication and communication in general
It is one of the most effective means to communicate feelings/emotions
In romantic relationships it can be a clear sign of how a couple is feeling towards each other
Withholding touch is a powerful tool we all have and can be used for a variety of reasons.
We develop our sense of touch and how important it is to use at a very young age however as we get older, we often decrease how much physical touch we give to others and receive. Why do you think that is?
Touch Is One Of The Most Powerful Nonverbal Codes We Can Send Someone.
Touch Is Closely Linked With Our Emotions and Internal Feelings (Sexual Interest, Emotional Intimacy, Aggression, etc.)
Most Are Very Sensitive To Touch and It Can Easily Be Misinterpreted Which Is Why We Have “Touch Rules” (What are some touch rules you are familiar with?)
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Why Do We Touch?
Functional/Professional
Social/Polite
Friendship/Warmth
Love/Intimacy
Sexual Arousal
Funtional/Profession- May be required for the job or interaction (doctor/patient)
Social/Polite- When we first meet someone, what do we do?
Friendship/Warmth-Let’s someone know we care/value them and have an interest
Love/Intimacy- strong feelings/close emotional ties
Sexual Arousal- intimate touch, often the most intense
Categories of Touch Friendship-Warmth Touch – lets another person know we care for, value, and have an interest in her or him. Probably the most difficult to interpret, both for the receiver of the touch and the outsider. Boys distance themselves from their parents at an earlier age than girls. There is more touching with the same sex parent than with cross-sex parents.
Categories of Touch Professional-Functional Touch – Managers should know the effectiveness of using touch while communicating to subordinates, but need to be cautious and understand how touch can be misunderstood. A hand on the shoulder for one person may mean a supportive gesture, while it could mean a sexual advance to another person A handshake or a pat on the back.
Categories of Touch Social-Polite Touch – serves to communicate a limited form of interpersonal involvement. We touch another person as more than a mere object. Blessing some one or meeting in a party or just a casual meeting.
Categories of Touch Love-Intimacy Touch – may include caressing the cheek, holding another person around the waist, hugging, embracing, kissing, and many other gestures that signal a particularly close and involved association between individuals. Public touch can serve as a ‘tie sign’ that shows others that your partner is “taken”. Touching between married couples may help maintain good health.
Categories of Touch Sexual-Arousal Touch – often equated with intimate touch. Is the most intense form of touch. It also may be the most communicative. Hugging- The embrace is the most basic way of telling someone that you love them and possibly need them too. Kissing- Moving in concert by turning heads to allow for the lips to touch is the final part of the fourth stage of courtship, the kiss.
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14 Common Types of Touch *In Western Culture
Proxemics
Interpersonal Distance
Body Orientation
Positioning
Territorial Behavior
In 1963 an anthropologist coined the term “proxemics” when referring to how close and our body orientation with other people. Since that time a significant amount of research has been done examining our closeness to others.
Proxemics can be broke into 4 areas:
Interpersonal Distance- Physical Distance Between One Another
Body Orientation-Our Angle In Which We Face Someone
Positioning-Where We Are In Correlation To Others
Territorial Behavior-Ownership & Defense of Area
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Personal Distance Zones
Intimate distance
confidential communications.
0 to 2 feet of space between two individuals.
Example: two people hugging, holding hands, or standing side- by-side.
unique level of comfort with one another.
social discomfort or awkwardness when not invited
Personal distance
talking with family and close friends.
very close in proximity to that of intimacy, and may involve touching
2 to 4 feet.
Still a feeling of uncomfortable being in such close proximity with the stranger.
Social distance
business transactions, meeting new people and interacting with groups of people.
large range in the distance that it can incorporate.
4 to 12 feet, it is clear that social distance depends on the situation.
Social distance may be used among students, co-workers, or acquaintances.
Generally, people within social distance do not engage in physical contact with one another.
Public space
characterizes how close we sit or stand to someone,
like a public figure or public speaker. So, if you are at an event listening to a professor give a lecture, you are probably about
12-25 feet away.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGVSIkEi3mM (Seinfeld 2Mins 39Seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frQdjs9UaYA (How Close Is Too Close? 2mins 56 Seconds)
We all react in different ways when someone gets too close to us. We may choose to pull away, we may show discomfort, we may just go along with it.
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Next Steps
Moodle Reading: Environment 1 & 2
Reflective Journal #3 Due Wednesday
Begin Planning Personal Behavior Change Project
