Proxemics throughout CultureBy: Brittany Bahr, Chris Lanham, Kaila Knueppel, Machaela Schultz, Robert Schroeder, & Sarah Frelich

Definition by Hall “Proxemics is in the nature of animals

including man to exhibit behavior which we call territoriality. In doing so, they use the senses to distinguish between one space or distance and another.”

Katz described proxemics as the shell of a snail

Stern developed the concept of a personal world

Proxemics is defined in many ways

Uexkull uses the analogy of being “surrounded by soap bubble worlds”

Haydek and Sundstrom use the electrical field analogy

Hall’s Four Distance ZonesMiddle class, northeastern U.S. and Northern Europe

Comparing Cultures

Contact Arab Southern

Europeans Latin Americans

Non-contact Northern

Europeans Asians Americans Indians

Variables Age Sex Relationships Environment Ethnicity

“Proxemics research requires an inordinate amount of time. Because of the many variables present, few studies have been done which examine its impact.”

~Edward Hall

Latin Americans Complete strangers Kissing on the cheek Less spatial proximity More Intimate contact

Latin Americans Children shake hands Men to women greet with a (beso) kiss Men to men greet with hug 18 inches Wives avoid eye contact with husbands

North Americans Territorial Hostile Value space and

eye contact

North Americans Barriers Live alone Bigger homes

North Americans• Greetings• Man to man• Woman to

woman• Man to woman

• Gestures• Whistling• Waving• The finger

African CulturesEthiopia Greetings

Man to Man Woman to woman Man to woman

Personal space and touching Differs Same sex touching is acceptable

example: males holding hands Opposite sex touching less common

Uganda Greetings

Man to man Woman to woman Man to woman

Personal space Minimal Less than an arm’s length of space Public transportation

European Northern Europe

Similar to the U.S. Non-contact Casual distance: 16”

Great Britain Germany Scandinavia

European Southern Europe

Contact cultures Touch is common Closer casual distance

Spain France Italy Greece and Turkey

Asian Cultures No space in public Sit next to you Greet with bow

China No touch in

conversation Women hold hands Within two feet in

conversation

Russia India No touching

unless family 3 feet apart when

talking Men hold hands No PDA Cupping faces

Japan Thailand No touching No hugging

friends Couples keep

distance

Activity Time!!!

References (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2013, from YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hip870_tJMw Proxemics: The Hula Hoop and Use of Personal Space. (2000). Communication

Teacher, 4. Greetings From Around the World. (2009). Retrieved February 15, 2013, from

Let's Get Creative: http://www.brucevanpatter.com/world_greetings.html Brown, J. (n.d.). Five Reasons You Should Start Using the Forearm Handshake.

Retrieved February 17, 2013, from Primer: http://www.primermagazine.com/2010/field-manual/forearm-handshake

Dolphin, C. Z. (1988). Beyond Hall: Variables in the Use of Personal Space in Intercultural Transactions. The Howard Journal of Communications, 23-35.

Lucy. (2010, July 14). Kiss, hug or shake hands? Retrieved February 15, 2013, from Pocket Cultures: http://pocketcultures.com/2010/07/14/kiss-hug-or-shake-hands/

Proxemics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2013, from Weebly: http://proxemics.weebly.com/proxemics-and-culture.html