The five zones in .NET

Printing QR Code 2d barcode in .NET The five zones

In his book, The Hidden Dimension, the American anthropologist Edward T Hall, defined proxemics as the study of the human use of space within the context of culture Understanding that cultural influences impact upon how people move within their space, and the amount of space a person is comfortable with, Hall divided space into five distinct areas The relationship you have with another person determines how near you allow that person to come to you

Hall defined five concentric spatial zones that affect behaviour: Close Intimate (0 15 centimetres/0 6 inches): This space is saved for lovers, close friends and family members It s a position for the most intimate behaviours, including touching, embracing, and kissing Intimate (15 45 centimetres/6 18 inches): This space is where the lover, friend, and relatives are welcome The distance is comfortable and secure You feel uncomfortable, and your body reacts protectively, if a stranger, someone you don t know well, or someone you don t like, enters this space Personal (45 centimetres 12 metres/18 inches 4 feet): For most Westerners, this distance is the most comfortable for personal conversations If you step too far into the space, the other person may feel threatened If you stand outside of the space, the other person can feel rebuffed Social (12 36 metres/4 12 feet): When you re in a business-based interaction with shop assistants and tradespeople, this area is where you feel most comfortable If you stand within the inner parameter, you re perceived as being too familiar If you stand outside the outer ring, you re perceived as rude and stand-offish Public (36 metres +/12 feet +): If you re speaking to an audience in a formal setting, the distance between yourself and the first row is in the public space Any closer and you feel intruded upon; your communication feels cramped Any farther away and you feel distanced from your listener, making it harder to connect with them The distance people keep between themselves reveals their relationship and how they feel about the other person

In addition to your space bubble s five concentric circles, you have another set of territorial positions, private and personal to you You have: Inner space: Your internal thoughts and feelings Immediate outer space: Friends, family, close colleagues Your public arena: The larger world in which you interact with an assortment of people People who enjoy their own company and prefer to keep to themselves have few requirements They live quieter, simpler lives than those who surround themselves with people and fill their lives with social activities

People who live lives that involve lavish entertaining need space to accommodate all the individuals and the accompanying accessories that go with a socially active life Their personalities require a broad expanse of space A person who has many people taking up much of his time occasionally draws into his inner space for quiet contemplation Executives, politicians, busy parents, and professionals as well as the ubiquitous celebrity need time alone to recharge their batteries Big personalities fill their space with their movements For example, they hold their arms farther from their bodies than people with quieter personalities Their gestures are definite and they move with purpose People whose personalities are more internally directed use fewer and smaller gestures Space also works in proportion to status Presidents, senior partners, and chief executives require a copious amount of resources, including space, in a practical sense and to fill status expectations, both their own and others Pauline is a Human Resources (HR) specialist, working in the telecoms industry When she was promoted to the role of HR director, she moved from her open plan office to a private office of her own Although the room wasn t large, it had windows and a door to close herself off Knowing that she needed thinking time as well as time for interacting with her team, Pauline appreciated the way that she was able to manage her public and private space according to the requirements Growing up in Palm Beach, Florida, a town of great opulence and wealth, I often saw 12-bedroom mansions for a family of four The size of people s homes reflected their status large homes indicated large incomes and large personalities Small homes indicated lower income and lower status My mother s home in Palm Beach had two bedrooms that cosily accommodated my mother, my sister, and myself Mom was a single mother, struggling to raise her two daughters She didn t entertain much and had little use for a lot of space Half a mile away was the winter home of the late President John F Kennedy His home was huge in comparison, with high walls surrounding the property and bodyguards walking the grounds The President s position of power, status, and authority came with more needs than that of a young divorcee on a restricted budget You can tell a person s status by how much personal space he requires The more space expected and offered, the higher the status How you view and define your space determines how others respond By being clear about how far a person may come into your territory, you make it easier for others to know your boundaries and behave accordingly