Proximics - the Study of Space

Proximics is the study of space. Personal space and social space. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is probably the best representation of this concept. Though he uses a pyramid to express the progression of human needs, there could be other ways to do so. When I draw one up, I’ll present it here.

fundamentally, the hierarchy of needs acknowledges motivational responses of human beings based on – well, needs. There are typically five stages (according to Maslow): Physical needs, Safety needs, Social needs, Esteem needs, and Self Actualization. Wiki this for details if you want. The point is . . . whether he is exactly correct on this assumption of what motivates, the principle is sound.

Personally, I doubt that one supplants the other – though there is certainly a good argument that one might take urgency over another. We need to eat . . . but on the heels of being satisfied (physical needs) one can see how there would be time to consider other needs, and so forth. So, though Maslow’s needs might need revision or rethinking (and many communication books don’t include this theory) the concept is fairly well known (he delivered his paper in 1943) and is worth paying attention to.

What this has to do with proximics is this: within each of our perceived needs are social (and I believe mental) distances that are naturally created to satisfy those needs.

A simple example of the realization of this principle would be something like: you wouldn’t go to a realtor if you need a loaf of bread. Fairly simple on that level. Fine tuning the concept gets difficult the muddier our needs get – or do they? Confusions arise when we make the assumption that people can help us meet our needs and that all people are capable of meeting those needs. Not all people are capable of meeting all our needs – not possible. Familial needs are met (obviously) through the family, but mentors take similar, yet different roles.

Whether these roles are universal or cultural or individual is fairly flexible – but there’s certianly enough evidence to suggest that no matter the expression these needs take place, they are there.

Ultimately, it helps to understand the principle that certain individuals and environments facilitate the acquisition of needs better than others. A common example could be the President of the United States. He has a ring of advisors – closely trusted, then not so much, then outward towards the public itself and often times the media which helps to facilitate other needs. In this way a corporation or nation can be considered to  have its hierarchy as well – or bubble like influences.