112 Part 1 Basic Communication Processesand sad times, we reassure others with a pat on the back, and we experience inti-
macy with the caress of a romantic partner.
There are as many different types of touches as there are thoughts about and reac-
tions for being touched. The intimacy continuum (Heslin, 1974) provides insights
into how our use of touch reflects our relationship with a communication partner:c Functional-professional touch is used to perform a job. How would your den-
tist perform your root canal if he or she didn’t touch you?
c Social-polite touch is often a polite acknowledgment of the other person,
such as a handshake.
c Friendship-warmth touch conveys liking and affection between people who
know each other well, as when you hug your friends or offer your brother a
pat on the back.
c Love-intimacy touch is used by romantic partners, parents and children, and
even close friends and family members. Examples include kissing (whether
on the mouth or cheek), embracing, and caressing.
c Sexual-arousal touch is an intense form of touch that plays an important part
in sexual relationships.Another classification system for touch distinguishes among a dozen dif-
ferent kinds of body contact (Morris, 1977). Table 4.2 illustrates these types of
contact in connection with the intimacy continuum.Are you repelled by touches
from strangers? What about
touches from people who are
not your age (children or the
elderly)? What about being
touched by a colleague or
a professor—someone you
have a professional relation-
ship with? Does it depend on
the situation? Explain your
answer.AND YOU?
TABLE 4.2HOW PEOPLE TOUCH
Type of Contact
Handshake
Body-guide
PatArm-linkShoulder
embrace
Full embraceHand-in-hand
Mock attackWaist embrace
KissCaressBody supportPurpose
Forming relational ties
A substitute for pointing
A congratulatory gesture but
sometimes meant as a conde-
scending or sexual one
Used for support or to indicate
a close relationship
Signifies friendship; can also
signify romantic connectiveness
Shows emotional response or
relational closeness
Equality in an adult relationship
An aggressive behavior
performed in a nonaggressive
manner, such as a pinch
meant to convey playfulness
Indicates intimacy
Signals a degree of closeness
or the desire for closeness
Normally used by romantic
partners; signals intimacy
Touching used as physical
supportIntimacy Type
Social-polite
Social-polite
Social-polite or
sexual-arousalFriendship-warmthFriendship-warmthFriendship-warmthFriendship-warmth
Friendship-warmthLove-intimacy
Love-intimacy or
sexual-arousal
Love-intimacy or
sexual-arousal
Love-intimacy