BODY LANGUAGE: GESTURES, POSTURE, AND SPACEoften knocks down the artificial defenses put up to persuade the
interviewer. It is not a very kind technique!
In considering how each of us uses space, we should be aware
that the way people react to invasions of their personal space
depends on their perception of that space. Some people have
pathologically distorted ideas about their own zones of privacy.
Dr. Augustus F. Kinzel, a social scientist, studied prisoners and
concluded that some are violence prone because their normal zone
of privacy, which should be about four feet, had expanded to six
feet or more. When someone got what they perceived as "too
close," they reacted with panic and then violence.
There are times when even "normal" people seem to have needs
for extended space; driving an automobile is such a time. You
can make a driver extremely nervous by tailgating. It is as if the
zone of privacy surrounding the driver extends to surround the
automobile as well, reaching out a couple of car lengths in front
and back. When someone is cut off by a car moving into his or
her zone, there is a sudden spurt of anger. Many drivers react
by racing to cut the other driver off in turn. It's like the violent
prisoner's reaction to what he perceives as crowding.
Another variation in personal spatial needs is linked to personal-
ity. A psychiatrist, Dr. William E. Peipold, tested people to dis-
cover if they had introverted or extroverted personalities. He then
measured the distance they placed themselves from an interviewer.
He concluded that introverts sat farther away from people than
extroverts. People who were praised moved closer and people
under stress moved away. The more comfortable a person is with
another, the closer the distance between them.
A subtle job interviewer can read a number of different subtexts
from the movements of the applicants during an interview.