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Proxemic and haptic behavior in three European
countries
Article in Journal of Nonverbal Behavior · December 1991
DOI: 10.1007/BF00986923
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3 authors, including:
Martin Remland
Tricia S. Jones
West Chester University
Temple University
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PROXEMIC AND HAPTIC BEHAVIOR IN THREE
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Martin S. Remland
Tricia S. Jones
Heidi Brinkman
ABSTRACT: The influence of culture, gender, and age on proxemic and haptic
behavior was investigated in this observational field study. Video recordings of 253
naturally-occurring dyadic interactions in the Netherlands, France, and England
were analyzed by trained coders. Contrary to expectations, Hall's hypothesis regarding the proxemic and haptic norms of contact and noncontact cultures was not
weil supported. Among seated interactants, Dutch dyads maintained greater distances than French and English dyads, but French dyads were less proximate than
were English dyads. The body orientation of French dyads was more direct than it
was for Dutch or English dyads. In addition, with the exception of limited data on
touch, neither the gender-composition of the dyad nor the gender of the individual
affected the distances or body orientations of the interactants as would be expected
according to traditional sex-role socialization processes. Age, as weil, did not influence proxemic or haptic behavior. Results are discussed, primarily with respect to
the research methods used in this and in previous investigations.
Proxemic and Haptic Behavior in Three European Countries
Much of the empirical research on the effects of interpersonal distance,
body orientation, and touch, in social situations, includes these behaviors
as independent variables in the design of the study. An equally large number of studies focus on the antecedent factors influencing proxemic and
haptic behavior. Within this latter group, where interpersonal distance,
body orientation, and touch serve as dependent variables, are studies that
have investigated the influence of culture, gender, and age. These studies
spring largely from theoretical propositions concerned with the influence
Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr. Martin S. Remland, Department of Communication Studies, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA 19383.
Tricia S. Jones, Ph.D., is affiliated with the Department of Rhetoric and Communication,
Temple University, and Heidi Brinkman, M.A., is affiliated with the Department of Speech
Communication, University of Denver.
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 15(4), Winter 1991
© 1991 Human Sciences Press. Inc.
21 5
216
OURNALOF NONVERBALBEHAVlOR
have investigated the influence of culture, gender, and age. These studies
spring largely from theoretical propositions concerned with the influence
of cultural conditioning, sex-role socialization, and maturation on human
social behavior. Surprisingly, however, much of this research is either outdated, equivocal, or the product of questionable methods. The purpose of
this study was to explore, unobtrusively, and in naturalistic settings, the
apparent influence of culture, gender, and age on the proxemic and haptic
behavior of interactants in three European countries: The Netherlands,
France and England.
The Influence of Culture on Proxemic and Haptic Behavior
Hall's (1966) notions regarding the expressive styles of so-called contact
and noncontact cultures have received considerable attention from social
scientists over the years. Briefly, Hall maintained that cultures can be distinguished, in part, by members' preferences regarding interaction distances, body orientation, gaze patterns, and frequency of touch. According
to this view, contact cultures prefer more immediate, affiliative, or involving behaviors (e.g., eye contact, touch, direct body orientation, close distances) than do noncontact cultures. He suggested that contact cultures are
characterized by an emphasis on tactile and olfactory modes of communication white noncontact cultures rely primarily on the visual mode. Hall's
observations led hirn to conclude initially that Latin Americans, Arabs, and
French (those south or east of Paris) belonged to contact cultures; North
Americans, and Germans lived in noncontact cultures. Contact cultures
are also said to include Greeks, Italians, Eastern Europeans, Russians, Indonesians, and Hispanics; persons from noncontact cultures include
Northern Europeans, and Japanese (Andersen 1988). Among the explanations offered to account for the influence of culture is Andersen's (1988)
claim that observed differences might be attributable to the task-orientation
of those in cool climates relative to the interpersonal-orientation of individuals raised in warmer climates.
Despite the claims made about cultural differences in proxemic and
haptic behavior, the evidence to date has been remarkably limited. Apart
from the fact that much of the research is anecdotal (e.g., Jourard, 1966;
Morris, 1971), few studies have been done within the culture of interest, in
naturalistic settings, using unobtrusive measures.
A number of early investigations reported cross-cultural differences.
Watson and Graves (1966) noted in laboratory conditions that Americans
sat farther apart than did Arabs. Moreover, they observed that Americans,
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