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
