Psychology of sitting next to someone
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Chapter 17
MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF SEATING FORMATIONS
'Just feel at home and tell me all about it!'
Where you sit in relation to other people is an effective way of obtaining co-operation from them. Aspects of their attitude towards you can also be revealed in the seating position they take relative to you.
The first major study in seating positions was conducted by psychologist Robert Sommer from the University of California, who analyzed a cross-section of students and children in public and social situations such as bars and restaurants. Sommer's findings were correlated with survey data collected at business meetings that targeted what seating positions business people felt communicated certain specific attitudes. This survey information was synthesized with and applied to seating positions in business and negotiation situations. While there are stylistic differences between cultures and their relationships between people, the seating positions you will encounter most of the time in most situations have been summarized here.
In his book Non-Verbal Communication in Human Interaction, Mark
Why My Patients Sit Where They Sit Save
I used to do this bit where I would open a lecture with a psychoanalytic profile based on how one eats an Oreo. While more entertaining than fact, the way you eat the Oreo probably says something about your personality.
There are whole biters, nibblers, dunkers, twist/lick/tossers, and the curious wafer-only eaters. The purpose of the bit was to make you think about yourself (and others).
But what do you think about where your patients sit? You may have never considered this or noticed what's going one? I have, and I've struggled to understand the psychology that drives patient choice of seating.
This discussion is all based on my curious observation that when I enter the exam room, I usually find the patient sitting in the wrong chair. Meaning, he/she is not seated where I would expect the patient to sit in a medical visit.
I’ll accept that where a patient sits may differ between physicians, practices types, seating quality and patient comfort. I’ll also accept this may be a figment of my keen observational skills. Nonetheless, errant sitting occurs in both the new and experienced p
12-26-2017, 01:29 PM | ||
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Right - this goes to what I said above. Side by side can be reflective of an odd power dynamic in the couple. What healthy relationship would have an issue with sitting across from one another as being confrontational. You'll see side by side sitting in some of the very conservative (non-Christian) religious groups we have here in NYC. The woman is entirely submissive to the man and sits next to him like a kid instead of opposite him as if they were equal in the relationship. |
12-26-2017, 02:34 PM | ||
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We always sit side by side, which I have learned here (there was another thread Source: Just Life/Shutterstock It was three years into our work together when he received the news that his 22-year-old brother was sick again. After surviving once before, it seemed untenable that the cancer would return, and yet, there we sat. Receiving updates in sessions is like being offered a chapter every week; there was one on waiting, on prognosis, on bearing witness to dying, on saying goodbye, and then there was the one that we shared right after his brother’s death– Among psychologists, we talk extensively about the importance of holding space for our patients. Psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott describes theholding environment as a warm presence that fosters trust and safety. He maintains that the ability to attend to patients tenderly, similar to the way a loving mother would nurture her child, fosters the foundation for psychological health and healing. In an effort to fulfill this role, we cultivate a physical space that is private and comforting, a relational sense of care and acceptance, and an experience of emotional containment. We may even offer a brief hug on a special occasion. But despite all the parts we carry, I have yet to hear us address the mo I just finished binge watching two of my favorite series on Netflix – The West Wing and The Tudors, and was fascinated how the leaders in both series manipulated who was allowed to be near them during meetings, in order to forward clear messages of who they trusted and who they blackballed. In their work environments, proximity to the leader was golden. Did you know that influencing seating arrangements or degrees of physical proximity can be a authority tactic of strong leadership? Allow me to give you an example: In medieval times, when kings sat on their throne, everyone knew which members of the royal court were the most powerful based on how lock they stood to the king. Actually, the term “right hand man” is based on the fact that the #1 advisor of the king was always close at hand to aid him rule. We don’t utilize thrones anymore, but we still regard some seats to be more prestigious, and automatically reserve them for influential people or your most closest advisors. Back when I worked in Corporate, I knew that in order to be considered a respected commander at the table, I had to exert the psychological |