A very interesting concept I liked in the text was the entire section called "Territory and the Use of Space." This section talks about the concept of territoriality. In the text it is defined as, "The need to create boundaries, to control areas of space and make them ours. Trenholm explains in better detail that there are four different types of this, which are; public, home, interaction and body. "Public" is the space we create on our own in settings like parks, shopping malls and sidewalks. We all know that these places are open to the public but what we are comfortable with in terms of what we can and cannot do all depends on the individual. "Home" is the space we create in the comfort of our own living space. This is where we as individuals are more free and have the most amount of space to be ourselves. "Interaction" is when we are at a social party with friends and/or family and for the most part we are comfortable in this type of setting but obviously not as much freedom is granted here compared to home. Sometimes, in order to allow a higher level of comfort, sometimes people who are considered to be outsiders, will not be welcomed to join the party. Finally there is "body," this one is what each individual sets for themselves and what we allow in terms of our bodies being touched. According to Trenholm, this is the most restricted territory for any individual. Even with loved ones like lovers, friends and family, we still set limits of how much we allow to be touched by them.
Trenholm says that the more freedom that is allowed in terms of personal space, the more comfortable someone is to be themselves. I do not fully agree with that because there are shy people in the world who are conservative both when they are at home and in public. There are some people who just do not like to socialize and would rather be alone. Even though, it is agreed that the more private and open a space will be, a person's true personality comes out. If I am not mistaken, what Trenholm refers to when she wrote that sentence is that people will be more social and talkative and less conservative. I do not think that is always the case. I truly feel that there are people in the world who act the same in public as they do in private in their own home. Whether it be the quiet conservative type, or it be the wild and crazy type. Not everyone fits Trenholm's description, but I will say she is right about setting territories.
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I think you made a great point that Trenholm has set the perfect four territories. We always see this trend in those four different situations, but like you said, it may never be the case. You hear stories about different people all the time about their public and private space. Even for me, I actually got more social after a long phase of being quiet, shy, and timid. At home, it is just a whole different atmosphere when you are around your parents or siblings which can make you act different. I have to say I am a little different when I am in public and at home because there is a bit more freedom at home, but there can be people who act the same in those two environments. I think there will be a time in every individual's life who will go through either a small, yet steady change or a large, quick change.
ReplyDeleteHey there Kirk. This is the second or third time I have read one of your posts, and I must say, I really enjoy the connections you make to the coursework, the textbook and real life situations. I too found the topic of proxemics very interesting in this weeks reading, being what I think to be an often over-looked and under-rated aspect of our nonverbal communication. Cultural and social norms aside, I find little things like: how we tend to stand as far away as possible from someone when we share an elevator or how you ever use the stall directly next to someone in the bathroom if there is another one available.
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