Personal Space and Territoriality

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Personal Space and Territoriality

• Chapter 8

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Introduction

• In Chapters 8 and 9, the focus is on spatial
  relations between humans and their environments
• Often called The Big Four
• Personal Space
• Territoriality
• Crowding
• Privacy

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Personal Space and Territoriality

• Personal Space Portable, invisible boundary
  surrounding us, into which others should not
  trespass
• Regulates how closely we interact with others
• Moves with us
• Expands or contracts according to the situation
• Territoriality relatively stationary areas,
  visible boundaries that regulate who will
  interact with us

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Distinctions between the two

• Personal space Person is always at the center
  of personal space you take your personal space
  with you (portable).
• More of an individual-level process
• Territoriality Often, though not always,
  centers around the home. It can be left behind.
• More of a group-centered process

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Three main functions of PERSONAL SPACE

• Lots of theories are presented in your book
  overload, stress reduction, etc.
• All have to do with interpersonal boundary
  regulation
• Three main purposes
• Protective function serves as a buffer against
  potential emotional and physical threats
• Adjusting sensory input regulate amount of
  sensory information we get from others
• Communication function level of closeness and
  intimacy that we desire with another

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The hidden nature of personal space

• People position themselves in ways that are not
  random
• Depends on many things, including
• Status and friendship relationships
• Limitations that the physical environment places
  on us
• When do we realize how important it is?

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History of Personal Space

• 1966 Edward Hall wrote The Hidden Dimension
• Introduced the concept of proxemics
• Definition the scientific study of human
  spatial behavior
• Found that spatial behavior is greatly affected
  by
• Situational conditions
• Individual difference variables

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Brief overview of 4 zones

• Intimate Distance
• 0-18
• Head and face are all that is seen
• Can get additional sensory signals
• Usually not OK in public except for sports

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Brief overview of 4 zones

• Personal Distance
• 18 4
• Sensory cues begin to fade here
• More aware of persons body rather than just the
  face
• Touching is still possible
• Common distance for casual conversation between
  friends

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Brief overview of 4 zones

• Social distance
• 4 12
• Closer distance (4-7) used by people who work
  together/informal business
• Longer distance (7-12) requires raising the
  voice more formal business and social
  interaction

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Brief overview of 4 zones

• Public distance
• 12-25 feet
• Very formal
• Evasive or defensive action can easily be taken
• Used with strangers
• Deference when approaching important public
  figures

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How has personal space been measured?

• Simulation/projective measures
• Class demonstration of the Comfortable
  interpersonal Distance Scale CIDS
• Laboratory stop-distance methods
• Naturalistic observation

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How does attraction affect interpersonal distance?

• Similar individuals tend to be more attracted to
  each other than dissimilar individuals
• What accounts for the smaller interpersonal
  distances between close friends of the opposite
  sex?
• Finding Females moving closer to males
• What about female-female friends versus male-male
  friends?
• Finding Distance is affected by attraction for
  females, but not males

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What about individual differences and personal
space?

• Differences have been found, but findings are not
  always consistent (different methods?)
• Cross-Cultural variations
• Gender differences
• Age differences
• Personality factors

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Effects of architecture on personal space

• Size and shape of room
• Ceiling height
• Presence of partitions
• Light
• Location in room
• Seating or standing position
• Inside or outside
• Crowded versus uncrowded conditions escape?

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Spatial zones in schools and counseling sessions

• Does seating position have a direct effect on
  grades?
• Where is the best place to sit?
• What about physicians?
• What about counselors and psychiatrists?
• What is sociopetal spacing?
• What is sociofugal spacing?

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Too much or too little personal space what
happens?

• Depends on the conceptual model that you use
• Overload? Arousal? Behavior constraint? Stress?
• Generally, the consequence is unfavorable
  feelings (stress) and an attempt to re-establish
  an appropriate distance (equilibrium)
• Many research studies noted on pp. 269-275

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TERRITORIALITY

• How is territoriality different from personal
  space?
• Examples of territorial behavior that are in our
  everyday environments
• Territoriality produces conflict but also helps
  us avoid conflict

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Territoriality

• Definition Territoriality Is a pattern of
  behavior and attitudes held by an individual or
  group that is based on perceived, attempted, or
  actual control of a defensible physical space,
  object, or idea and may involve habitual
  occupation, defense, personalization, and marking
  of it.

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3 types of territories

• Key element Degree of privacy, affiliation,
  and accessibility allowed by each type.
• 6 major factors distinguish these 3 types
• Importance for the individual or group
• Duration of occupancy
• Extent of perceived ownership
• Amount of personalization
• Likelihood of defense if violated
• Types of benefits they provide (e.g. privacy in
  primary territories)

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1. Primary territories

• HIGH degree of perceived ownership
• HIGH amount of personalization
• HIGH likelihood of defense if violated
• Owned by individual and groups
• Relatively permanent basis
• Central to daily lives
• Examples Homes, bedrooms, company offices,
  nations

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2. Secondary territories

• MODERATE degree of perceived ownership
• MODERATE amount of personalization
• MODERATE likelihood of defense if violated
• Some regulatory power when individual is a
  legitimate occupant, but not specifically owned
  by individual or group on a permanent basis
• Examples Favorite bar, desk at work, gym
  locker, classroom

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3. Public territories

• LOW degree of perceived ownership
• LOW amount of personalization
• LOW likelihood of defense if violated
• Not owned, little personalization, anyone can use
  these
• Examples beaches, sidewalks, hotel lobbies

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Origins of territorial behavior in humans

• Instinctive (sociobiological)
• Instinctively determined
• Part of our genetic heritage and evolutionary
  past
• Look to animals for parallels
• However, problems with this view For example,
  the great apes are not particularly territorial

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Origins of territorial behavior in humans

• Learned (sociocultural)
• Territorial behavior is the result of learning
  and culture
• Says that the biological position is
  oversimplified and over generalized from animals
  to humans
• Why Defense in humans is possible when
  territory is encroached, but does not seem to be
  central to human territorial behavior

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Origins of territorial behavior in humans

• Interactionist position
• Synthesis of the first two positions
• Says that both instinct and culture account for
  our territorial behavior
• Possibility We are predisposed to territorial
  behaviors through instinct, but learning
  determines the intensity and form of our
  territorial actions
• Possibility Instinct guides are basic
  territorial behaviors while learning guides the
  more complex ones

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Psychological Functions of Territorial behavior

• Organizes our perceptions and control of our
  world
• Promotes predictability, order, and stability
• Leads to a feeling of distinctiveness and a sense
  of personal identity
• Provides for a sense of control and well-being
• Useful in privacy regulation
• Reduces stress

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Territorial Infringement 3 kinds

• 1. Invasion
• Outsider tries to take control of a territory
• Could involve anything from one nation invading
  another to taking over

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Territorial Infringement 3 kinds

• 2. Violation
• Temporary incursion into anothers territory
• Goal is not take-over, but annoyance or harm
• Examples Vandalism, burglary, computer viruses

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Territorial Infringement 3 kinds

• Contamination
• Infringers fouls anothers territory by leaving
  something awful behind.
• Examples Toxic waste, land mines

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Territorial Defense 3 kinds

• Remember that human territories are not usually
  infringed and are not always defended
  aggressively.
• 6 factors that affect whether or how much the
  holder of a territory responds to an infringement

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6 factors that affect territorial defense

• Who is the infringer?
• Why did the infringer intrude?
• What type of territory has been invaded?
• How was the infringement accomplished?
• How long was the infringement?
• Where did the infringement occur?

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Territorial Defense 3 kinds

• Prevention Stop the infringement before it
  occurs. Examples?
• Reaction Do something to stop the infringement.
  Examples?
• Social boundary Ritual used at the edge of a
  territory to control access to the territory.
  Examples?

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Measuring territoriality

• Very difficult to study in lab. Why?
• It takes a long time to develop a sense of
  territoriality and perceived ownership of a place
• There is little sense of control or ownership in
  a lab setting
• Therefore, must be done by field research
• Problems? Expensive, time-consuming, and poor
  control of extraneous variables
• Therefore, we have few studies about
  territoriality

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Measuring territoritality

• 3 ways to study territoriality in the field
• Field studies and field experiments
• Surveys and interviews
• Naturalistic observation and unobtrusive measures

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1. Field studies and field experiments

• What is the difference?
• Field experiments Attempt to exercise
  experimental control in the field
• Field studies Also performed in real-world
  settings, but focus is on naturally-occurring
  associations or correlations between variables
  no attempt to random assign Ss or exercise
  control over variables

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1A. Example of field experiment

• Taylor and Lanni (1981)
• Studied impact of territory and influence on the
  outcome of a decision
• Does being in your own room give you an edge?
• Description of study

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1B. Example of a field study

• Oscar Newman study of defensible space

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2. Surveys and Interviews

• Brower, Duckett, and Taylor (1983)
• Investigated how different arrangements of
  fences, planting, curbs, and ornaments affected
  residents perceptions of the security of the
  property

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3. Naturalistic observation and unobtrusive
measures

• Naturalistic observation Watch how kids occupy
  and defend certain parts of a crowded playground
• Unobtrusive measures Count the number of items
  and locations people use to control a space
• 2 most common kinds of unobtrusive measures
• Marking
• Personalization

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Influences on territorial behavior

• Personal factors such as age, gender,
  personality. One common finding is that males
  have larger territories than females
• The situation
• The physical setting see defensible space
  information earlier
• The social situation not much research
• Cultural variables not much research