To understand interpersonal physical distance as given by Edward Hall, align the following from the least to the maximum distance.
(A) Personal distance
(B) Public distance
(C) Social distance
(D) Intimate distance
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (D), (A), (C), (B)
Edward Hall, an anthropologist, described four kinds of interpersonal physical distance, depending on the situation.
(D) Intimate distance — up to 18 inches, kept when talking privately to someone or with a very close friend or relative.
(A) Personal distance — 18 inches to 4 feet, kept when interacting one-to-one with a close friend or relative, or with someone not very close in a work setting.
(C) Social distance — 4 to 10 feet, kept when the interaction is formal and not close.
(B) Public distance — 10 feet to infinity, kept in a formal setting with a large number of persons, such as an audience and a public speaker.
Note: Edward Hall’s four kinds of interpersonal physical distance were explained in the chapter ‘Psychology and Life’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2022, and are not there in the NCERT book (2025-26) or in the 2023-24 NCERT.
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…In social situations, human beings like to maintain a certain physical distance from the person with whom they are interacting. This is called interpersonal physical distance, and is a part of a broader concept called personal space, i.e. the physical space we like to have all around us. … Edward Hall, an anthropologist, mentioned four kinds of interpersonal physical distance, depending on the situation:
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