The Spatial Distance Of Interpersonal Communication

There is a certain need to maintain between people Spatial distance 。 Any one needs to have a self-control space around himself. It is like an invisible "bubble", which "divides" a certain "field" for himself. And when this self space is violated, it will feel uncomfortable, unsafe and even irritated.

A psychologist has done such an experiment. In a large newly opened reading room, when there is only one reader in it, the psychologist goes in and takes a chair and sits next to him or her. The experiment was carried out 80 times. It turns out that in an empty reading room with only two readers, none of the subjects could tolerate a stranger sitting next to himself.

In general, contact Bilateral interpersonal relationship And the context determines the scope of each other's self space. Dr. Edward hall, an American anthropologist, divided four regions or distances, all of which are equivalent to each other.

? intimate distance

This is the minimum interval or almost no interval in interpersonal communication, that is, we often call it "intimacy", and its near range is within 6 inches (about 15 cm). It may touch each other's skin and touch each other's ears, so that they can feel each other's temperature, smell and breath. Its far range is between 6 inches and 18 inches (15 cm-44 cm). Physical contact may be manifested as holding hands in arm or chatting with each other, which still reflects close and friendly interpersonal relationship.

As far as the communication situation is concerned, intimate distance belongs to the private situation, which is only used between people who have a high degree of emotional contact. In social occasions, before the public, two people (especially the opposite sex) are so close, it is not very elegant. Among people of the same sex, they are often only close friends. They are very familiar with each other and are easy-going. They can talk about everything in a casual way. Between the opposite sex, only between husband and wife and lovers. Therefore, in interpersonal communication, it is impolite for a person who does not belong to this intimate distance circle to intrude into this space at will, no matter how attentive he is, it will cause the other party's antipathy and ask for no interest.

Personal distance

This is a slightly measured distance between people, and there is less direct physical contact. The close range of personal distance is 1.5-2.5 feet (46-76 cm), which makes it possible to shake hands and talk with each other. This is the space to communicate with acquaintances. If a stranger enters this distance, it will constitute an infringement on others. The range of personal distance is 2.5-4 feet (76-122 cm). All friends and acquaintances are free to enter this space, but usually, the more harmonious acquaintances keep closer to the close end of the distance (2.5 feet) and the conversation between strangers is closer to the far (4 feet) end of the distance.

Distance is usually used in social situations. {page_ break}

? social distance

This has gone beyond the interpersonal relationship of intimate or acquaintances, but reflects a more formal relationship on social or etiquette. The near range is 4-7 feet (1.2-2.1 meters), which is generally maintained in working environments and social gatherings. At one time, the arrangement of seats for a diplomatic meeting was negligent, and there was no tea table for increasing the distance between the two side-by-side single sofa. As a result, guests always try to lean on the armrest outside the sofa all the time, and their bodies have to be often backward. Therefore, different situations and different relationships need different interpersonal distance. Distance does not correspond to situation and relationship, which can lead to psychological discomfort.

The social distance ranges from 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 meters), showing a more formal relationship. Company managers often use a large, wide desk, and place the visitor's seat at a distance from the desk, so that they can keep a certain distance when talking to the visitors. For example, negotiations between leaders of enterprises or countries, interviews during job recruitment, thesis defense of professors and college students, etc., are often separated by a table or kept at a certain distance, which increases a solemn atmosphere.

When speaking, direct eye contact is also needed without adequate physical contact. If the speaker does not get the support of the other party's eyes, he or she will have a strong feeling of being ignored and rejected. At this time, mutual eye contact is an indispensable form of emotional communication in conversation.

Public distance

This is the distance between the speaker and the audience in public speaking. The near range is 12-25 feet (about 3.7-7.6 meters), and the far range is 25 feet. This is a "open door" space that can accommodate almost all people. People can "turn a blind eye" to other people in the space and do not communicate, because there may not be certain contact between them. The distance between the speaker and the audience must be shortened when he tries to communicate with the audience.

Space selection

The spatial distance of interpersonal communication is not fixed, it has certain flexibility, which depends on the specific situation, the relationship between the two sides of the conversation, social status, cultural background, personality characteristics, mood and so on.

Different social status leads to different self space distance. Generally speaking, people with power and status have a greater demand for personal space. In addition, people's need for self space will also change with the specific situation. On a crowded bus, for example, people can't think about their own space. If in a more open public place, people's space distance will be expanded, such as park rest kiosks and empty restaurants. There is no reason for others to sit next to themselves, which will cause suspicion and unnatural feeling.

We can consciously choose the best distance to communicate with people if we understand the self space and appropriate communication distance that people need in communication. Moreover, through the information of space distance, we can also have a good understanding of a person's actual social status, personality and the relationship between people, so as to better carry out interpersonal communication.