Lesson 3: Sociocultural Causes of Abnormal Behaviour

Social Distance, Hand Gestures, Eye Contact, Facial Expressions

Social Distance

When you sit beside someone to talk or work, how far apart do you sit? Usually, you sit close enough so you can talk normally, but far enough apart so you are comfortable. That is an acceptable social distance. Some people break these norms. They are not aware of what an acceptable social distance is and insist on sitting beside you so that you touch each other or talk very close to your face that you see their tonsils. For most people, this is an unacceptable social distance and one person will move to feel more comfortable. However, sometimes the other person moves as well and the problem continues until you tell the person to “back off”.  An episode of Seinfeld poked fun at the "close talker".

Video:  Seinfeld - The Close Talker.

Hand Gestures

Most of us use our hands when we talk. It is almost part of the conversation. There are certain norms to follow. If a person uses his or her hands too much, you end up watching the hands rather than following the conversation.

Eye Contact

We all follow certain norms when interacting with our eyes. We look at our teachers when they talk. Usually, job interviews are more successful when you look at an interviewer. Parents ask us to look at them when we talk. If you do not follow these norms, your schoolwork could suffer, your job prospects could be fewer, and your parents could lose their temper.

More Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are a part of our daily interactions. People look at your face to get an idea of how you feel about different things. Socially, we learn that certain facial expressions should not be used in front of certain people. These are our norms. For example, you would not stick out your tongue at a police officer, fire fighter, teacher, or parent.