Interpersonal distance as a function of situationally induced anxiety.
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of situationally induced anxiety on interpersonal distance in a two-person conversation. In the anxiety-arousing situation subjects were asked to discuss an interesting incident while their social competence was assessed from behind a one-way screen. The briefing and debriefing periods were used for control purposes. Analysis of speech disturbance rates showed that the anxiety manipulation was successful. A significant increase in interpersonal distance was found in the anxiety-inducing situation relative to the low stress situation. The implications for the controversy concerning the effect of anxiety on the need for affliation are discussed.
D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010550:Personal Space; D012737:Sex Factors; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014705:Verbal Behavior