The Nature of Humans 9. The Myth of Personal Space
This essay examines the nature of personal space as perceived by humans.
Conclusions are then drawn.
Definitions
'Personal space is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached.'
Source: Personal space - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Hall, Edward T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-08476-5.
'Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal space are indicators of perception of those people's relationship. An intimate zone is reserved for close friends, lovers, children and close family members. Another zone is used for conversations with friends, to chat with associates, and in group discussions. A further zone is reserved for strangers, newly formed groups, and new acquaintances. A fourth zone is used for speeches, lectures, and theater; essentially, public distance is that range reserved for larger audiences.'
Source: space - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Engleberg, Isa N. Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies. My Communication Kit Series, 2006. page 140-141
The existing personal space model Hall; Edward T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension.; identifies 'relation bubbles' around each human.
The inner bubble is at 0.45m, the next at 1.2m, the next at 3m and the outer one at 7.6m.
Source: Personal space - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Hall, Edward T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-08476-5.
Proposal: The Reversal of the Viewpoint
If the principal of personal space is correct then it should be a universal one and all humans should share the same need and apply the dimensional space model at all times.
Observation. Humans do not do this.
If personal space is applied then what should be witnessed is that all of their personal, couple, family, group, habitation, artefacts, external spaces, common areas, local community areas, national areas should be designed or adapted to ensure personal space is maintained.
Observation. They are not designed in this way.
Alternative Theory
The alternative, reversal of the viewpoint, is that humans are not maintaining a personal space around themselves they are constantly trying to cause an interaction in order to improve their chances of survival, obtain needs, exchange values, share qualities, share sensory output about the appreciations of beauty, create cultures and form societies.
Humans are not raised as solitary animals they are raised in groups, nations and states.
They are integrated from birth, through health, security, education, work, leisure, marriage, family, and old age into death into the country they are born into. They are conditioned to interact.
Examples to support the new Theory.
Humans do not avoid each other but increase their interaction in the following situations.
Relationships, conception, birth, education, health, transports systems, leisure activities, sports, arts, houses, work areas, shopping and tourist areas.
Human do not exist in personally designed societies.
They exist in mass produced, national, state provided, imported, exported, consumerist economies that provide everything for them.
Each human exists only through the previous interactions of the nation, state and population into which they were born.
They are integrated and encoded, digitally, hematologically, genetically into the society at birth and then tracked through their lives to increase their interaction with each person in the society and provide a greater benefit for the whole nation.
Humans do not exist in personally designed environments.
They exist in mass produced, state approved, environments.
The environments were created hundreds of years before the human existed and then adapted by each generation of humans to the needs, values and culture of the prevailing nation and state.
The heritage of the previous generation forms the environment for the next generation.
The boundaries of a nation are communal constructions.
The buildings of a nation are provided by national agreement and laws in allocated locations to state approved designs and forms using approved materials, working methods and timescales.
The rooms in buildings are mass produced heritage products relating to the routines of day and night, hygiene, food provision and storage, sanitary conditions and acceptable social interaction methods.
Humans do not have personal space or control over the routines in their lives.
Sleep duration, awareness duration, health control, sanitary conditions, clean water, light, power, heating, communications, clothing, food and drink, education, literature, art, media and language.
Humans do not have personal space in their thoughts.
Their senses take in, encode and then if prompted by repeated sensory experience or communication they repeat previous sensory input.
They cannot describe anything that they have never sensed before.
They are empty organic vessels programmed by sensory input from their mass produced, state approved existence.
They have no personal thought space.
Conclusions
There is no ‘psychological personal space’ in any part of a human beings existence.
Humans sense to increase interaction.
The emotional reactions to the ‘personal space infringement’ are conditioned into the human from birth to death and vary with experience.
The so termed ‘zones’ of ‘personal space’ around a human being are not observed to be applied by humans in relation to each other, indeed they are constantly probed to increase interaction.
The environment is formed by state and nation laws to benefit the whole population not individuals and to increase interaction.
Personal environment does not exist.
Personal space is a myth.
Ian K Whittaker
Websites:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
16/06/2015
14/10/2020
907 words over 2 pages