PHYSICAL
CONTACT
The
physical contact that we use in conversations changes a lot according
to location, age of the speakers (e.g. with children you usually show
them more affection) and fundamentally the realtionship that we have
with the people. Using tact during social interaction carries out two
functions:
•
It is a way of finding out attitudes and emotions: through tact we
can find out our feelings towards that person; affection, love, friendship,
solidarity. Touching someone is a sign of expresivity. In some cases,
it is also indicative of difference in status, when the physical contact
is one sided.
•
It is a sign that regulates social interaction: in the case of greeting
and saying goodbye, congratulating someone or the daily gestures of
courtesy like helping a lady put her coat on.
Using
physical contact as a communicative resouce is used more in some situations
than in others:
•
When we give advice, more than when we ask for it.
•
When giving an order, more than when we receive one.
•
Asking for a favour, rather than accepting it.
•
When trying to persuade someone, more than when someone is tryng to
persuade us.
•
In conversations about emotional and deep topics.
•
In relaxed atmospheres, like parties, concerts, etc.
•
When we are trying to transmit our level of excitment, more than when
we are the person listening.
•
When we receive a worrying message, more than when we are one ones
giving those worrying messages.
There
are enormous cultural variations in which we refer to the quantity and
the type of physical contact which is given in social interactions.
Also it has been proved that there are differences in gender: in general,
men touch women more than women touch men. As we have already mentioned
in the case of personal space, we should be aware of certain signals
which show pleasure or disdain which people send us related to our way
of expressing ourselves using physyical contact.
PERSONAL
APPEARANCE
The
way people look depends on a series of characteristics that, in principle,
can not be modified (except if you opt for cosmetic surgery) e.g. the
shape of your face, your height, body structure, etc. However, the majority
of components that make up your personal appearance can be completly
modified (colour of your hair, makeup, type of clothes, the amount of
muscle you have, what you shave, the use of contact lenses...) The list
of possible changes that you can make to your personal appearance are
endless and more so in our time (an era which favours these types of
changes).
Your
personal appearance has a very powerful communicative value; in fact,
it helps people form their first impressions of us. People extract conclusions
by observing the personal appearance of people and certain aspects like
age, sexuality, intelligence, social cultural level....
Everybody
uses someone's personal appearance as a communicative value according
to their own criteria, being aware of the possible inferences that other
things can make. However, it is certain that sometimes situations demand
that we change our appearance (e.g. a job which demands we wear a jacket
and a tie) and in this type of situation the individual has to either
accept or not accept this type of change. We should not get angry or
think that we are being restricted when a job or determined social event
demands a clothing change, as without a doubt it responds to the communicative
value of a person's personal appearance.
