Question

Tell me in your OWN words, how do the concepts of personal space and territoriality differ?

Answer 1

Personal Space: Individuals need personal space at some point of time in life. It means distancing ourselves physically from people. You must have heard sentences like "He invaded her personal space!". It means a person was too close physically. We need personal space when we are tired (physically or mentally), or when we simply want to be alone for sometime! Need for personal space may differ from person to person depending on their nature, people around them, whether they are introverts,extroverts etc. Personal space not necessarily means you need to isolate yourself from people and lock yourself in a room, you maybe in a party and need personal space, so you distant yourself physically from others, yet being in a party and not leaving.

Territoriality refers to a sense of ownership of a particular area. It's more easier to understand when we observe animal behavior. For example, dogs mark their territory by peeing and they would attack/growl/bark if a new dog tries to enter his territory. Territoriality means possessing a area and forbidding others to invade or warning others that it's my area,you can be a guest but can't claim the place! To understand Territoriality, take for example border which separates two countries. The soldiers at the border have a sense of Territoriality.