Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Territorial Rights and Regulations ..........................................................
In This Chapter
Fitting into your space
Staking your claim
Positioning yourself to your best advantage
I
f you’ve ever bumped into a stranger on the high street, if you’ve ever
been squashed on a rush hour tube, or if you’ve ever been kissed by some-
one you’d rather hadn’t kissed you, you’ve experienced space invasion.
Unless invited, it feels a bit creepy when someone gets too close. And it feels,
oh so good, when the distance’s right.In this chapter you look at the different areas of space around you. You find
out why what feels comfortable at ten paces feels differently at one. You also
discover why cohorts sit side by side and adversaries sit face to face. Finally,
you discover how the way that you position yourself, whether upright,
supine, or simply off kilter, impacts on your gestures, movements, and the
impression you make.Understanding the Effect of Space.............................................................
The way you fill and move within space impacts your attitude, your feelings,
and the way that others perceive you. People who know where to position
themselves in relation to someone else control the interaction. They know
when to get up close and personal, and when to back off. They know the dif-
ferent implications between standing so close to another person that you can
feel that person’s breath, and standing so far away that you have to squint to
see one another. By knowing where and how to place yourself in relation to
another person, you can consciously control that person’s perception of you.Territorial parameters aren’t just a matter of manners. Foreign invaders, rival
gangs, trespassers, burglars, pushy bullies, and aggressive drivers all know
that their invasion into another’s territory can be met with varying degrees of
resistance. Zoologist Desmond Morris sees humans as competitive as well as