Territoriality

[Music] Greetings, Earthlings! Today we're talking about territoriality--how people claim and defend physical spaces. Have you ever told someone to get out of your room? Been mad at someone for parking in your regular parking space? Felt uncomfortable when a guest sat in your usual chair? Have you ever left an object on a table or chair at a coffee shop while you went to get your donut? If so, my friends, you've been territorial.

Now, in this section we talk about the ways in which people claim and defend physical spaces and why people are so territorial--it's not just your cat! We will see that territoriality is also related to our last topic of privacy because claiming physical spaces helps us satisfy our needs for solitude, intimacy, privacy, and reserve privacy.

As usual, let's start off with a few definitions. First, we'll say that "territory" is a definable space, object, or idea that people own or control, or believe they under control, or seek to own or control. And because this is environmental psychology, we're going to focus on physical spaces as territories. Second, "territoriality" consists of the attitudes and behaviors related to the perceived, actual, or attempted control of a territory. This is a definition that comes from Bob Gifford. For example, territoriality includes "territorial marking." This is when people use space claimers like fences and signs and gates, and landscaping and personal belongings, to mark their territory. Territoriality also includes the "personalization of territories." People personalize home and work territories by displaying personal possessions and decorating in ways that communicate their personal or group identities. And personalization increases feelings of ownership and signals a commitment to a physical space and it advertises this ownership to other people. Territoriality also includes "territorial defense"--so this is a third way that people lay claim to their territory. We'll discuss that in more detail later in our lecture.

Next, let's talk about the functions of territoriality. We can say that, "territoriality is a space claiming process that has multiple functions." For example, territoriality protects personal space and privacy. "Owning" and controlling a physical space means that we can regulate our contact with other people. Some types of territories provide physical space for privacy types like solitude, intimacy, and reserve privacy and support privacy functions like self-evaluation, rejuvenation, and protected communication. Having your own territory supports your need for personal autonomy and control----when you control a physical space and you have the freedom to do as you please and customize the setting according to your needs and desires--it's empowering. For example, our homes, and our mini-territories within them, are some of the few places in life where we have almost complete control. Having your own workspace that you control reduces stress. Having personal control over a physical space (even when it's small) helps us feel like we have more control over our lives. Like personal space, territories serve self-protective needs. Controlling who has access to us makes us feel more secure, and territories can increase feelings of security when we're confident that no one will enter without our permission. Territoriality also minimizes conflict. I know that seems counterintuitive at first, but when you think about it, when territories are clear and agreed upon, conflict is reduced. You know, for example, in a shared room, territorial conflicts between two siblings may be resolved by clearly designating mini-territories within with furniture or masking tape. When property lines are clear, neighbors don't fight about where one's property begins and the other's ends. Coherent ownership and control over various spaces reduces chaos and helps organize groups and societies. Territories geographically fix individuals and groups so we know where to find them. Designated workspaces, for example, make it easier to find people. A family that designates seats at the dinner table or for watching TV, runs more smoothly because everyone knows where to sit without even thinking about it.

[Music] I want to say a bit about types of territories and it's helpful to think about different types of territories because territoriality varies based on the type of territory. And in 1975, Irwin Altman classified territories into three different types: primary, secondary, and public. His thinking was that territories differ in how important they are to us and also how much control the owners have over them and the three territory types that he identified represent this thinking.

[Music] First, let's talk about "primary territories" and these territories include homes and bedrooms. Primary territories are used exclusively by an individual or by a group. They are controlled on a relatively permanent basis by them and they're central to the daily lives of their owners. Primary territories are particularly important to people because they support our feelings of control and security. They are places where we have more control, more personal autonomy than we do elsewhere. Our homes are our castles, as the old saying goes. Residences also typically include "mini-primary territories" controlled by different household members. So think about your own family and whether each person had a designated spot at the dinner table, whether there were or are specific rooms used only by one person, and whether there's a living room, a chair, or a spot that belongs to one person. Now, of the three different types of territories, primary territories are the most likely to be personalized and marked as belonging to a person or group. So they do tend to be marked and personalized more than other territories and remember these primary territories support feelings of control and security, and they tend to be strongly defended relative to the other two types of territories when infringed upon.

[Music] "Secondary territories" aren't as psychologically significant to people as primary territories and they're less under the control of their occupants than primary territories. These are technically more public types of spaces but because a person spends a lot of time in a particular space, they feel some ownership of that space. So a person's desk at work, the team's locker room, a home playing field--are examples. A favorite table of a small group in a school cafeteria or a neighborhood coffee shop, or a bar where a group of friends often meets--you know, "This is our our table or our booth"--those are considered secondary territories. Secondary territories are sometimes tricky for outsiders to identify because they are in more public spaces and that means that outsiders might not know that they're considered territories. They don't know that other people and groups consider them to be their more personal territories. They're less likely to be obviously personalized or marked and so that means that to outsiders/other people might not realize that they're off limits. You know, so for example, my partner and I get quite annoyed if someone parks in front of our house for an extended period of time if it's someone we don't know. Now we don't own the space in front of our house but we act like it. We can't legitimately claim a right to it, but there is a sense in which we consider it ours and get annoyed if someone invades that territory. Because secondary territories are often somewhat invisible as territories to other people they can be a source of conflict. So imagine showing up to your favorite group hangout spot and another group is sitting at your group's table. You might protest by saying something like, "You need to move. This is our table. We come here every Thursday night." And they are likely to say, "I don't see your name on it, you don't own this table. We have as much of a right to be here as you do."

[Music] "Public territories" are what they sound like. These are places and spaces shared by lots of people for short-term goals without a sense of personal ownership and control.

[Music] Now you can't talk about territoriality without talking about how people respond to infringements of their territory. So let's talk about these "territorial infringements," those times when people disrespect the territories of others. But before I do that, I need to remind you that there are things that people do that decrease the likelihood that people will infringe on their territorial boundaries. And these are called "prevention defenses" and they include territorial markers like signs, some graffiti, fences, and boundary-defining shrubbery. Gates even count. Prevention defense also includes "vigilance," which means monitoring the territory to prevent and catch potential invaders. Now prevention defenses are actually pretty effective and people, most people, respect other people's territorial boundaries--if they know what those are, and if they're clearly marked. However, people obviously sometimes infringe on other people's territories and sometimes that's by mistake--like we were talking about secondary territories--but sometimes it's on purpose, so let's talk about that. Prevention defenses do prevent a lot of territorial infringements but they're by no means foolproof. People do infringe upon other people's territories. Environmental psychologists classify territorial infringements into three types. The first type of territorial infringement is "Invasion." That is entering a territory without permission. Invasion can be unintended. For example, you can go to someone's house for dinner and accidentally sit in someone else's customary seat at the table. But Invasion can be done with the intent of taking belongings, taking over territory, or using the territory without permission. Ignoring a "No Trespassing" sign to enjoy a private beach, using someone else's hot tub when they're on vacation, and residential burglary, are also examples of invasion. "Violation" is a second type of infringement. It's infringing on another's territory to annoy or harm them. When a sibling keeps coming into your room just to fuck with you, that's violation. Some forms of harassment and bullying include infringing upon another's territory and they are violations. Note the importance of intention here. Violation is an aggressive act because it's intended to harm or annoy--that's the point of it. Contamination is a third type of infringement. It happens when a person or group fouls the territory of another person or group. Contamination is sometimes about asserting dominance or sending a message. For example, breaking into someone's territory and leaving something nasty.

[Music] When our territories are infringed upon we can respond in a lot of different ways. Depending on the situation, we might respond verbally, such as yelling, "Get off of my property!"; "Get out of my chair!"; or "Get out of my room!" In secondary territories, we often respond non-verbally. We look annoyed. We can respond verbally. We can make a plea for the invader to give the territory back, but most of the time we'll let it go and say nothing. Legal methods are sometimes used to respond. Like a restraining order that requires that someone stay off of your property, asserting rights to a physical space like a property boundary by going to court or going to the city hall or whatever to prove that boundary is yours. All of these are, you know, reaction defenses, right, they are responses to territorial infringement. Interpersonal violence is actually pretty rare in regards to territorial infringement as I've said before. However, many people and states do consider violence justified if someone invades your primary territory, your home in particular. In the U.S., 34 states have "Stand Your Ground" laws that permit violence against an intruder into your home. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that fights over territory between groups are found throughout human history, past and present. You know, so for example, fights over territory have led to violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians and between gangs fighting for control over parts of a region. So violence as a reaction defense isn't unheard of, but in general people respond to infringements in other ways.

[Music] Let's say a little bit about territoriality, privacy, personal space, and environmental design. Privacy, personal space, and territoriality are so important for interpersonal and group relationships and they satisfy many important psychological needs such as the need for personal autonomy, security, and stress reduction. And that means that privacy, personal space, and territoriality are relevant to the humane design of the built environment, as Bob Gifford once said. As far as some general recommendations, environmental design should allow for mini-territories in primary and secondary territories. These promote feelings of security, self-determination, and self-expression. They may also reduce conflict. For example, when siblings or roommates share a room, they often benefit from having their own territories within. In secondary and public territories, people may benefit from clearly marked temporary territories. This supports privacy and security and reduces conflict over disputed boundaries. For example, a well-designed library may include cubicles designed for individual study or reading and small enclosed spaces for group work. In work environments, giving employees their own designated space and allowing personalization, increases commitment, promotes privacy and can reduce conflict. Recreational spaces are public territories but recreationists need temporary primary territories for privacy, security, and to reduce conflict. For example, demarcated campsites or picnic areas make temporary territories clear and reduce infringements and increase feelings of security and control. In institutional environments, environmental psychology recommends mini-territories that patients, clients, and residents have control over and can personalize. This prevents learned helplessness by providing personal autonomy and control. It promotes privacy and reduces stress which benefits mental and physical health. Clearly marked mini-territories may also reduce conflict, for example in shared rooms.

Well, Earthlings, that was our last lecture in environmental psychology and I sure hope you learned lots of information that will serve you well in your personal and professional lives. I thank you for your participation this quarter and for all the sharing that you did in your assignments and also on our discussion board. Your contributions really helped all of us learn more about environmental psychology, including me! All right then, I'm wishing you the very best in everything and hoping that you'll take care and be well.

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