Personal space tends to take on greater weight for those of us who are extra sensitive to subtleties. Riding a crowded city bus or subway becomes an olfactory adventure as well as a challenge to the defence of personal space. But there is more to the equation than being highly sensitive. There are deep cultural tendencies about personal space that also get into the mix.
A 2006 New York Times article by Stephanie Rosenbloom provides an overview of proxemics, the study of personal space and people’s perceptions of it. Edward T. Hall, the anthropologist who coined the term proxemics, wrote a book about personal space called The Hidden Dimension
Already fine-tuned to issues of personal boundaries, other highly sensitive people may find Hall’s inquisitive, easy-to-read exploration of this issue as fascinating as I did. It’s a relief to read a whole book about an issue I spend a lot of time grappling with, but that, for the most part, remains hidden under cultural paradigms.
“Americans and Arabs live in different sensory worlds much of the time and do not use the same senses even to establish most of the distances maintained during conversations. … For an Arab, there is no such thing as an intrusion in public. Public means public.”
“The French are sensually much involved with each other … when a Frenchman talks to you, he really looks at you and there is no mistaking this fact. American women returning to their own country after living in France often go through a period of sensory deprivation.”
“Germans sense their own space as an extension of the ego. … In contrast to the Arab, … the German’s ego is extraordinarily exposed, and he will go to almost any length to preserve his ‘private sphere.'”
~ Edward T. Hall, The Hidden Dimension
