page_title: Proxemics
section_title: Organization of space in territories
hierarchical_section_title: Proxemics / Organization of space in territories
caption_attribution_description: Reaction of two people whose personal space are in conflict. See also http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:PerSpa1.png
context_page_description: Proxemics is the study of human use of space and the effects that population density has on behaviour, communication, and social interaction.
  Proxemics is one among several subcategories in the study of nonverbal communication, including haptics, kinesics, vocalics, and chronemics.
  Edward T. Hall, the cultural anthropologist who coined the term in 1963, defined proxemics as "the interrelated observations and theories of humans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture". In his foundational work on proxemics, The Hidden Dimension, Hall emphasized the impact of proxemic behavior on interpersonal communication. According to Hall, the study of proxemics is valuable in evaluating not only the way people interact with others in daily life, but also "the organization of space in [their] houses and buildings, and ultimately the layout of [their] towns". Proxemics remains a hidden component of interpersonal communication that is uncovered through observation and strongly influenced by culture.
context_section_description: While personal space describes the immediate space surrounding a person, territory refers to the area which a person may "lay claim to" and defend against others. There are four forms of human territory in proxemic theory.  They are:
  Public territory: a place where one may freely enter. This type of territory is rarely in the constant control of just one person. However, people might come to temporarily own areas of public territory.
  Interactional territory: a place where people congregate informally
  Home territory: a place where people continuously have control over their individual territory
  Body territory: the space immediately surrounding us
  These different levels of territory, in addition to factors involving personal space, suggest ways for us to communicate and produce expectations of appropriate behavior.
  In addition to spatial territories, the interpersonal territories between conversants can be determined by "socio-petal socio-fugal axis", or the "angle formed by the axis of the conversants' shoulders".  Hall has also studied combinations of postures between dyads (two people) including lying prone, sitting, or standing.
caption: Reaction of two people whose regions of personal space are in conflict
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