Territory
“A man’s house is his castle.” ~ English jurist Edward Coke
Humans are territorial animals. Many sports and games are based upon territory.
Materialism is a votive mind-set intertwined with territoriality. Capitalism is a natural extension of this biological bent.
Possessive tendency falls into 3 categories, based upon the perceived nature of the immediate space: private, shared, or public.
Private territories are areas you call your own: your room and workspace. Cars act as mobile territory, as so do portable possessions, such as purses and cases.
People are naturally upset by police searches of private property, even when expected. Purse and suitcase searches at airports are unsettling in having to put aside the urge to control access to personal space.
Shared territories occur in spaces shared by a select population, such as a cohabiting home, office, or classroom. Even when sharing space, individuals may have a regular seat or spot they feel some possessiveness over.
Public spaces are open to all comers. Claim to public territory is infeasible. Yet privacy does happen when people behave in public as if they were by themselves. Others tend to shy away if 2 people are having a row or intense conversation. Conversely, a couple holding hands and showing each other romantic affection tends to have others reserve the immediate vicinity out of deference.
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When someone enters another person’s private territory the host often assumes a conversational leadership role. In negotiations there may be some home field advantage.
Offices
Offices are a commercial embodiment of modern human territoriality. Single-occupant offices convey 2 main messages: relative status within an organization, and a setting of expectations about how visitors should behave.
The most important signal is the desk, which divides an office into major zones: a private work realm and a public area where visitors are seated.
Visitors’ seating arrangement controls distance between the office holder and guests. A common ploy to reduce a visitor’s status is to place visiting chairs at considerable distance from the occupant’s desk.
Whereas educators tend to sit sideways to their office doors and deemphasize private space, businessmen and bureaucrats tend to arrange their rooms to maximize dominance, so as to give themselves an edge in negotiations.
Managerial and high-status workers typically position their desks to face the door. In contrast, clerical and secretarial staff often sit side-on to the door.
In partitioned or open offices, more modest markers serve as power symbols. Chair size conveys importance: the higher the back, the higher the status.
In allow changes in orientation, swivel chairs can signify power. They also allow freer movement when stressed, which can be useful in trying to cover anxiety.
