Proxemics
throughout
Culture
By: 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.”
Proxemics is defined
in many ways
Katz described
proxemics as the shell of
a snail
Stern developed the
concept of a personal
world
Uexkull uses the
analogy of being
“surrounded by soap
bubble worlds”
Haydek and Sundstrom
use the electrical field
analogy
Hall’s Four
Distance Zones
Middle 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 Cultures
Ethiopia
 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
3
touching unless
family
feet apart when
talking
 Men hold hands
 No PDA
 Cupping faces
Japan
Thailand
 No
 No
touching
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