Proxemics The O
IRWLE VOL. 8 No. I
January 2012
1
Proxemics: The Study of Space
O.Minu Agnus
“Thousand of experiences teach us, that space communicates”
E.T.Hall (1990 p 161)
The search for the lingual foundations of human culture will lead to non verbal communication without which the diversity and sophistication of today’s language system would be impossible. While commenting on the significance of non verbal communication in the evolution of human language, Harrison and Crounch (1972) suggest that
“in the development of each human being, non verbal communication precedes and perhaps structures all subsequent communication.” (p 77).
When our communication is supplemented by the aspects of non verbal cues, – like facial expression, gestures etc- its message paired with the lexical content, makes the interpretation of the sender’s meaning complete. Albert Mehrabian, a professor of Psychology, estimates that
55% of the impact of a message, which reaches the listener, is through the non verbal mode. With his experiments he suggests,
“Total impact (in the listener) = (0.07
+ 0.55 Non Verbal) of the speaker” (p 53)
verbal
+
0.38
Vocal
Today many studies have been conducted, to understand the various aspects of non verbal communication. The scholars, in this field have brought out the various classifications regarding the types, factors and the influences of the non verbal communication.
Knapp’s (1971), one of the scholars in this field has classified non verbal communication in the following way.
Environmental
Factor
It consists of elements such as furniture, architectural style, lighting, smells, colors and temperature.
Proxemics
It is defined as the use and perception of one’s social and personal space, such as in seating and spatial arrangements.
Kinesics
It is defined as body motions that include gestures, body movements, postures, facial and eye behaviors.
.
Touching
Behavior
It deals with the touching behavior of an individual
.
Physical
Characteristic
It
January 2012
1
Proxemics: The Study of Space
O.Minu Agnus
“Thousand of experiences teach us, that space communicates”
E.T.Hall (1990 p 161)
The search for the lingual foundations of human culture will lead to non verbal communication without which the diversity and sophistication of today’s language system would be impossible. While commenting on the significance of non verbal communication in the evolution of human language, Harrison and Crounch (1972) suggest that
“in the development of each human being, non verbal communication precedes and perhaps structures all subsequent communication.” (p 77).
When our communication is supplemented by the aspects of non verbal cues, – like facial expression, gestures etc- its message paired with the lexical content, makes the interpretation of the sender’s meaning complete. Albert Mehrabian, a professor of Psychology, estimates that
55% of the impact of a message, which reaches the listener, is through the non verbal mode. With his experiments he suggests,
“Total impact (in the listener) = (0.07
+ 0.55 Non Verbal) of the speaker” (p 53)
verbal
+
0.38
Vocal
Today many studies have been conducted, to understand the various aspects of non verbal communication. The scholars, in this field have brought out the various classifications regarding the types, factors and the influences of the non verbal communication.
Knapp’s (1971), one of the scholars in this field has classified non verbal communication in the following way.
Environmental
Factor
It consists of elements such as furniture, architectural style, lighting, smells, colors and temperature.
Proxemics
It is defined as the use and perception of one’s social and personal space, such as in seating and spatial arrangements.
Kinesics
It is defined as body motions that include gestures, body movements, postures, facial and eye behaviors.
.
Touching
Behavior
It deals with the touching behavior of an individual
.
Physical
Characteristic
It
Cited: Hall Edward T (1959), The Silent Language, Doubleday, Garden City. Hall Edward T (1968), Proxemics, University of Chicago, Chicago. Hall Edward T (1963), Proxemics: The Study of Man’s Spatial Relations and Boundaries”, Man’s image in Medicine and Anthropology, Hall Edward T et al. (1968), Proxemics Comments and Replies, Current Anthropology, Vol 7 Hall Edward T (1971), The Hidden Dimension, University of Chicago, Blyth, W A L (1976), “Nonverbal Elements in Education: Some New Perspectives”, British Journal of Educational Studies Knapp M L (19780, Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction, Rinehart & Winston, Holt, New York. Mark Baldassare and Susan Feller (1975), Cultural Variations in Personal Space: Theory, Methods and Evidence, Ethos, Vol Mehrabian A (1968), “Communication Wthout Words”, Psychology Today, Vol Mehrabian A (1971), Silent Messages, Wadsworth Publishing Company, California. Prabhu T (2010), “Proxemics: Some Challenges and Strategies in Nonverbal Communication”, The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol 4, No Harrison R P et al. (1972), “The Nonverbal communication Literature”, The Journal Communication, Vol Harris et al. (2010), Small Group and Team Communication, Allyn and Bacon, Massachusetts.