Spatial empathy
Encyclopedia
Spatial empathy is an informal term used to describe the awareness of an individual to the proximity, activities and comfort of people surrounding them.
It is closely related to the notion of personal space
, the concept that an individual has ownership of their immediate surroundings; and for others to invade this space represents an infringement on their privacy.
The degree to which different cultures exhibit spatial empathy differs dramatically. Typically, many developed Western countries consider unnecessary closeness to or physical contact with strangers (such as in a train carriage or store) as taboo. However, many Asian and Eurasian cultures do not exhibit the same aversion.
, themselves typically from nations such as Australia
, England
, France
and the United States
. Part of the 'culture shock
' of moving to this still very westernised city was the crowded walkways and public transport systems, where navigation through a crowd while avoiding physical contact often proved more difficult than in their home countries.
The term has since spread to expatriate workers in other countries, including Japan
and China
.
It is closely related to the notion of personal space
Personal space
Personal space is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal...
, the concept that an individual has ownership of their immediate surroundings; and for others to invade this space represents an infringement on their privacy.
The degree to which different cultures exhibit spatial empathy differs dramatically. Typically, many developed Western countries consider unnecessary closeness to or physical contact with strangers (such as in a train carriage or store) as taboo. However, many Asian and Eurasian cultures do not exhibit the same aversion.
Origins
"Spatial empathy" was first termed by expatriate workers in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, themselves typically from nations such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the 'culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
' of moving to this still very westernised city was the crowded walkways and public transport systems, where navigation through a crowd while avoiding physical contact often proved more difficult than in their home countries.
The term has since spread to expatriate workers in other countries, including Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Racist connotations
It has been suggested that the term spatial empathy can be interpreted as racist (i.e. it can imply that an understanding of personal space is a sign of a more developed country). However, for people traveling to countries where unnecessary physical contact is strenuously avoided, a high degree of spatial empathy can be interpreted as implying coldness, disconnection or even frigidity in a culture.Other meaning
Spatial empathy has also been defined as awareness of the spatial condition that a remote person experiences. An "empathy vest" is a tool to achieve this. http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2005/10/the-empathy-ves.phpSee also
- Culture shockCulture shockCulture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
- EmpathyEmpathyEmpathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
- Personal boundariesPersonal boundariesPersonal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify for him- or herself what are reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave around him or her and how he or she will respond when someone steps outside those limits.'Personal boundaries define...
- Personal spacePersonal spacePersonal space is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal...
- ProxemicsProxemicsProxemics is the study of measurable distances between people as they interact. The term was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966...