We had just recently talked about message clusters; clusters or a group of body language which translates to the general disposition of an individual and how efficient and effective it is to view and categorize a person’s general behavior by observing the overall posture and behavior of a person. In addition, we also have delved a bit on one of the few message clusters categorized as the aggressive body language and its first sub-category which falls on threat. Right now, we will further discuss the next sub-category of the aggressive body language which is referred to as “invasion”.
While the word invasion would probably make you think of aliens from another planet coming to earth to conquer it and take its overall resources or maybe a historical leader trying to conquer a particular nation, invasion in the context of body language refers to the act of entering an individual’s personal space. When a person invades the personal space of someone else, it can be interpreted as an act of aggression. There are three behaviors that can be considered as an invasion towards a person.
- False Friendship: People commonly refer to this as being “feely touchy” wherein a stranger, or someone who is not closely related to you starts to act too friendly towards you. The person may attempt to hang out with you along with your friends even though he or she was initially uninvited or interject in your friends’ conversation. While the doer of the action might not be aware of it him or herself, this can be considered as an aggressive body language.
- Approach: This is perhaps the most common aggressive body language message cluster. When a person enters the personal space of another person or a group of people, they are approaching aggressively and are effectively invading their territory. The closer you get, the higher the chance of you being able to take initiative of the situation.
- Touching: This gesture also falls under the term “being touchy feely” and a person who goes to touch another person is also a clear indication that he or she is invading someone’s personal space. While some people do not mind it, this gesture is discouraged when it comes to business meetings or partners. On the other hand, if you see someone being touchy with someone, then they are probably trying to assert their dominance or personality on the recipient.
If you have noticed, this aggressive body language does not necessarily delve on the idea of causing physical harm. While this kind of message cluster can be interpreted both as something of a disadvantage and an advantage, being able to spot and identify a person who exhibit this helps you figure out how to deal with such an individual.