Touch, Justification, and Sex: Influences on the Aversiveness of Spatial Violations

Hall's pioneering studies designated discrete zones of interpersonal space appropriate to levels of intimacy within a culture. This project investigated variables expected to affect reactions of Ss to entry into their intimate zone by strangers. Violations of Hall's intimate zone were predicted to be more aversive to males when accompanied by physical contact and when lacking prior psychological justification. In Experiment 1 a female confederate (C) sat six inches from individual Ss (21 males and 23 females) and touched half the Ss. Half the Ss were given a rationalization for the C's intrusion. Experiment 2 was a replication with a male C and 40 male and 40 female Ss. Aversive reactions were measured by decrements in performance and liking. As predicted, touch and no justification resulted in significantly lower task performance by males only, regardless of sex of intruder. Intrusions decreased liking by males and increased liking by females. It is concluded that proxemic theory should be elaborated to account for the effects of touch, justification, and sex.