Territorial Boundaries While Communicating with others Introduction Like

Territorial Boundaries While Communicating with others

Introduction • Like personal boundaries, territorial boundaries are also very important to be aware of when communicating. Also known as territoriality, territory boundaries are how we claim space. Everyone has heard that animals, especially dogs, are territorial. It is the same concept.

What is Territory? • The term “territory” refers to a fixed space that belongs to someone in some way. The difference between territorial and personal boundaries is that personal space moves with the person, while territorial space does not.

Types of Territory • There are three main types of territory: – Primary: used almost exclusively by the individual, long-term. • E. g. , home – Secondary: used regularly by the individual but shared with others; doesn’t belong to the individual but is associated with them. They might have occupied it for a long time or been assigned to it. • E. g. , preferred table at a restaurant – Tertiary: used by everyone, all have the same right and access. • E. g. , waiting rooms

Marking Territory • Even though we don’t “mark” our territory the same way dogs do, the basic idea remains the same. We tend to mark our territory with books, belongings, habitual seating placement, and so on. Humans mark their territory with three types of markers: – Central markers: items placed in a territory to reserve it. • E. g. , sweater on a chair – Boundary markers: a boundary that divides one person’s territory from another’s. • E. g. , armrest separating seats on an airplane – Earnmarkers: identifying marks that indicate possession. • E. g. , nameplates

Encroachments on Territorial Boundaries • Territory and aggression go hand in hand should not be taken lightly. The following are three areas of challenges to space, or encroachments on space, that can easily trigger defensiveness and aggression: – Violation: unwarranted use of another’s territory. • E. g. , entering a home without permission – Invasion: entering territory and changing the meaning of that territory. • E. g. , students entering a faculty meeting – Contamination: rendering the territory impure. • E. g. , graffiti

In Conclusion • As you can see, it is easy to cross someone else’s territorial boundaries without even knowing it, like in the example of a preferred table at a restaurant. It might be your first time to the restaurant and you might not be aware that a regular sits there every day at that time of day. Therefore, it is important to be aware of and able to identify territoryrelated problems. Successful communication and conflict resolution hangs in the balance.