Abnormal Invasion Of Their Personal Space

People expect others to remain a certain distance away depending on the relationship they have with someone. The closer a person is to another relationship wise (friends, relatives, partners) the more acceptable it is to be physically closer to them. The opposite can be said when strangers invade one’s personal boundaries at times it can be more than just uncomfortable having someone stand too close can also be seen as threatening. In an individualistic society, such as the one in the United States, being independent is highly encouraged. Rather than “all for one and one for all” people are told to work hard for themselves not for society as a whole. By sitting next to strangers not only did I infiltrate their boundaries but I also distracted them from their work by putting them in an uncomfortable situation. Since most subjects continued to do their work and mind their own business they held their needs as more important than interacting with me. When those two girls had an actual conversation with me and saw me as a friendly stranger rather than threatening they did not necessarily consider my needs but they did acknowledge my presence enough to set aside their work even if just for a moment. Being the social creatures that we are talking to others can put people at ease seeing that the people I sat next to took out their phones I saw that even though they did

The bystander effect is a social psychological scenario where a person who is in an urgent situation is not given any help by the people around due to the discourage from the presence of others (whatispsychology.biz, 2017). Social psychologists, John Darley and Bibb Latane, introduced the bystander effect in the 1960s after the murder of Kitty Genovese, a young woman who was stabbed to death outside her home in New York City. It took her attacker more than half an hour to kill her, and during that time, thirty-eight people saw her being murdered, and they did nothing to help her. “The responsibility for helping was diffused among the observers” (Darley & Latane, 1968).

1. Your uncle consumes a quart of whiskey per day; he has trouble remembering the names of those around him.

My social norm that I broke consisted of me going into the bathroom stall and talking to the person next to me. This social norm was particularly easily

For my breaching social norm experiment, I was determined to do something I would never do even if it was a dare, especially since my ability to interact with strangers is not what I consider advanced. So, I decided to make people feel uncomfortable by holding their hand. What I would do is walk up to the person from behind and slowly make my way to their hand to make them feel even more uncomfortable. People normally hold hands with their significant other, or with someone they know, like a friend or family member, so to be holding hands with a stranger is infrequent and abnormal.

Over the past few years, I have noticed personal changes in my body language when in a fearful situation. On my college campus, there are times when I shake while walking down the street after dark and have my phone set up to dial 911. I usually feel threatened when I notice a group of people or individual person following me on the same side of the street. My first reaction is to continuously check my surroundings, know how to get help and make sure that I am in a safe place. I notice my body language change drastically during these types of situations, especially when I am by myself. There is a noticeable change in my posture; I stare at the ground, drop my shoulders, put my hands in my pockets and try to go unnoticed. If someone begins to make me feel uncomfortable by approaching me, I move to the opposite side of the street as quickly as I can. I take fast, brisk steps away from the danger and ignore any communication from the people around me. All of these feelings change, however, if I am with another person.

Identify behavioral changes that result from the presence of others. Why does the presence of others produce changes in our level of performance or awareness?

My experiment consisted of me asking strangers, on the streets of Downtown Grand Rapids, for directions to Rosa Park’s Circle, and invading their personal space. To start, I would approach a stranger; tell them that I am lost, and that I am in need of directions to the Rosa Park’s Circle. As strangers began giving directions to me, I inched closer and closer to them. In addition to invading their personal space, I also held intense eye contact with them, trying my best not to blink. The whole time, although it was difficult, I kept a straight face while I performed my experiment. To make sure that I gathered enough information, and a variety of results, I tested my

According to Paatjes and Shwartz(1993) personal space is an invisible barrier that humans extend around themselves which they like to keep others from entering. The

Social anxiety disorder, which is also called social phobia involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule. The fear may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. The anxiety can build into a panic attack. As a result of the fear, the person endures certain social situations in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether. In addition, people with social anxiety disorder often suffer anticipatory anxiety, the fear of a situation before it even happens, for days or weeks before the event. In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it. (Goldberg)

The bystander effect is both a social and psychological phenomenon in which an individual’s inclination towards showing helping behaviours are minimised by the influence of other people. Research has found that the more people acting as bystanders in a situation, the less likely it is that helping behaviours will be demonstrated. However in the correct conditions, where conditioned cues increase self-awareness, it is possible to reverse the bystander effect phenomenon. The bystander effect is prevalent in everyday life, and often decorates the news, shocking the world, especially when authority figures such as police men and women succumb to the effect. Diffusion of responsibility, ignorance of others interpretation of an event and self-consciousness are all social processes which appear to lead to social inhibition of helping behaviours and one of the main theories of the bystander effect is provided Latané and Darley (1970) whose cognitive model provides a series of decisions that can lead to social inhibition. The bystander effect is influenced by the conditions an individual is in when an event occurs, for example the bystander effect appears to be most dominant when an individual is in a group of strangers with low group cohesiveness. FINISH

Personal space is an HER process that conveys the level of intimacy individuals are tolerant of (DEA, 02/01/17). An individual who demonstrates small personal space conveys acceptance of close interactions. Personal space also varies and is dependent on many factors. Factors effecting personal space might include gender, culture, or age. Individuals suffering from mental health issues may also experience dynamic personal space (DEA OH, 02/23/17). Individuals experiencing schizophrenia may have shifting personal spaces. Lack of adequate personal space contribute to various issues such as stress overload (DEA, 02/06/17). Unwanted violation of an individual’s personal space may result in sensory overload. It’s important to establish ways in which

In American society, personal space is valued and is seen as a right that is expected to be given to everyone. The physical closeness allowed between individuals is determined by the degree of their relationship. In a public environment such as restaurants and other eating establishments, people sitting together in a table often are familiar and comfortable enough with each other to allow themselves to be near in proximity to other people. Those people sitting together may be family members, friends, or acquaintances willing to get to know one another. Because of this norm that we carry in the United States, rarely do we in real life see someone voluntarily sitting with a total stranger in randomness without the other finding the person

Many people formed this personal space by placing luggage around them, extending a body part, or using a companion to consume space. Most people stood at least a half an arm’s distance away from each other, but if this distance felt threatened people were sure to express nonverbal and sometime verbal behaviors.

A few days ago, I was walking to my car after class by myself. It was dark outside and I couldn’t really see much except for what the parking lot lights lit up. I saw a man walking towards the same parking lot as I was and I began worry. I started thinking to myself that I should have waited for my friend that was in my class; that way there would be at least two of us. It turns out that the man’s car was in the same parking lot as mine but, I had nothing to worry about. His main concern was probably just to go home.