Proxemics and Chronemics

Proxemics is the study of personal space, and how different conditions can affect interactions among people. Edward Hall coined the term in the 1960’s, and found out that not only does the circumstance matter when dealing with personal space, but it varies from person to person. For example, a C.E.O. may need more personal space, than a factory worker. I found the example in the book by Sommer to be interesting. I never gave much thought to how seating positions can show a pattern.
A good example of this would be at work meetings. The person in charge, whether it is the manager or director, usually sits at the ends of the table. While other less powerful people sit around the table. I never notice until now how much this makes since. I notice that the individuals who sit more towards the center of the table tend to interact less. However, I do believe that the issue of person space does vary from race to race.
I have friends of different races, and reading this chapter has caused me to think about the proxemics of each group. When I’m with my Asian friends, I notice that the level of personal space is low. They tend to interact within close proximity of each other. On the other hand, my African American friends tend to want more personal space. The interaction is not as close.
Chronemics is the study of the use of time (Harris 119). I also believe that the concept of time varies from culture to culture. In the USA, we are expected to be on time. On time means being early, at least 15 minutes. If we are later than 15 minutes, then we are considered late. Over the summer I went to Thailand, and I observed similar behavior. When scheduling a meeting, I noticed that people would arrive early, sometimes 30 minutes early.