Protection theory

Equilibrium theory
Expectancy violations theory

Establish a body buffer zone around

yourself as protection against unwanted
touching or attack.
When you feel threatened or be attacked
your body buffer zone increase
E.g. If you walk alone at night and
someone come close to you (entering
your buffer zone) you probably feel
threatened and seek to expand the
distance by walking faster.

Holds that intimacy and interpersonal

distance vary together.
The greater the intimacy, the closer the
distance or the lower the intimacy, the
greater the distance.
You maintain close distance with those
with whom you have close interpersonal
relationship and that you maintain
greater distance with those with whom
you do not have close relationship.

Explains what happens when you increase

or decrease the distance between yourself
and another in an interpersonal interaction
This theory assume that people have
expectancies toward the distance that need
to maintain in their conversations.
In a conversation, if someone that you like
violate the expectancies (distance) by say,
standing too close you will like the person
even more as a result of this violation.

But if someone that you do not like

violate your expectancies you will like
the person even less as a result of the
violation.