2021/10/22 week06 Personal Space Differences.

 Personal s p a c e differences.

    


    The only thing I have enjoyed about the whole Covid situation that we are in, is that we are encouraged to keep our social distance! I enjoy having my own personal space and do not want others to invade it whenever they wish. It takes a long time for me to become comfortable to have someone stand close to me. Obviously in certain situations I realize that I need to shrink what I view as my personal space, but this does not mean I am happy about it.

    One of the hardest parts of teaching young kids for me is their lack of understanding on personal space. They will constantly badger you for attention and if you are busy helping someone else, then they will try get up and tap on you the whole time until you give them the attention they need. That part of teaching has taken the most getting used to and patience on my part. 

    
     I found this graph interesting! I had not realized that actual studies had been done on this and that depending on the areas we grow up in, as well as cultural tendencies can affect our outlook on what we perceive as our personal space and violations of it. We also have situations where we are able to override what we want due to what society needs from us. This can be seen on public transports, movie cinemas and such situations.

    I feel that a cultures tendencies towards individualism or collectivism can also impact how much space we feel entitled to. Collective mindsets are more willing to sacrifice their space for the benefit of the group.

    In China I would dread taking the bus or subway at peak times. I knew that I would be placed in a situation where we would be packed tightly into the method of transport. If you tried sticking your elbows out to create a bit more space for yourself then you were viewed as being extremely rude. So I just had to deal with it, or organize to take a cab and have more space for myself that way. 

    From personal experience I know it is possible to adapt and change the amount of space we wish we had. It is not a pleasant or comfortable thing to do though. When we do travel, it is on us to see how everyone else acts and interacts with each other. We need to be sensitive to what is normal for them and do our best to fit into it. 


Comments

  1. David FontesOctober 24, 2021 at 6:18 AM

    Hello Donovan!
    I really liked your comments, pandemic was not 100% bad, was it? ;)

    ReplyDelete

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