E The Holistic View 143
Posture
Culture profoundly affects posture. From the smallest group to
the largest, you need to consider influences on openness, energy,
flexibility, and movements—all elements of posture.
This gives you the basic model for how I will analyze posture to
further develop your holistic view of body language. Each of these
will play a part in what the person is conveying, intentionally or
unintentionally, and each will reflect cultural influences.
What passes for good posture among average Americans would
cause swift and severe punishment for any member of the United
StatesMarine Corps. I started my career in the military as a short, 14-
year-oldjunior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) student.
I was cajoled, ridiculed, and taught to stand like a soldier before most
people ever consider joining the Army. Prepared for basic training
and skilled in drills and ceremony, I felt ready for the rest of my Army
career—at least the marching part. Five years later, I was assigned
to the Old Guard, one of the oldest and most respected Infantry
Regiments in the United States Army. Among other things, the
Old Guard protects the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National
Cemetery and has a prominent role in burials at the cemetery. I
soon realized my idea of good military posture fell short of the stan-
dards achieved by seasoned members of the Old Guard. Years later
in a military intelligence unit, a major remarked he could tell I had
been an Old Guard member by my ladder-straight back. The Old Guard
microculture and the microculture that is military intelligence had
very different takes on “military posture.” Nevertheless, they seemed
quite similar when I had exposure to non-American military units.