1. Running head: GROUP SPACE 1
Group Space
Erin N. Bosman
University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire

2. GROUP SPACE 2
Group Space
When going out with friends or family, often times the group will claim a territory
in some form. They will put out their personal items such as purses, sweatshirts, and
etcetera to develop their group space within a public location. Group space is "a
temporary spatial boundary that forms around interacting groups and serves as a barrier
to unwanted intrusion by nonmembers" (Forsyth, 2014, pg.526).
"Places that are typically occupied by a single person are individual-oriented
places. A library carrel and an individual’s bedroom are examples of such environments.
Aggregate- oriented places, those that are typically occupied by coacting individuals, are
composed primarily of strangers or minimally related individuals who are performing the
same kinds of actions parallel to but not in interaction with each other. Such
environments include pedestrian malls, parking lots, and subway stations. Group-oriented
places are those that are typically occupied by people who know and regularly interact
with each other. Such places are usually focused on the activities of organized groups.
(Ruback, Collins, Koon-Magnin, Ge, Bonkiewicz, & Lutz, 2013 pg.240)"
The concept of group space is mostly seen in aggregate- oriented places and
group-oriented places rather than individual-oriented places, and of those it is mostly
seen in group-oriented places. In relation to aggregate-oriented places, the group space
concept could be seen in a parking lot. For example, individuals often gather or carpool
for events and will park in a specific area forming a group and using their vehicles as
personal objects to define the group space. This could be seen tailgating before a sporting
event, or at a company picnic. In relation to group-oriented places, the group space
concept could be seen at a park. For example, my brother-in-law enjoys playing softball

3. GROUP SPACE 3
with his friends and often times during the summer, my sister and I will watch them play
at a nearby park. We bring chairs, and coolers, and a blanket and claim our group space.
Group space's can form in a variety of places and territorial settings. They are
temporary spaces that form around interacting groups, often by claiming the space with
personal objects. Group spaces can be seen being formed in various public locations such
as parking lots, the beach, or a park.

4. GROUP SPACE 4
References
Forsyth, D. (2014). Groups in Context. In Group dynamics (6th ed.). Belmont, California:
Wadsworth.
Ruback, R. B., Collins, R. T., Koon-Magnin, S., Ge, W., Bonkiewicz, L., & Lutz, C. E.
(2013). People Transitioning Across Places: A Multimethod Investigation of How
People Go to Football Games. Environment & Behavior, 45(2), 239-266.
doi:10.1177/0013916511412589
Schiavo, R. S., Kobashi, K., Quinn, C., Sefscik, A., & (Lori) Synn, K. M. (1995).
Territorial influences on the permeability of group spatial boundaries. The
Journal Of Social Psychology, 135(1), 27-29.
doi:10.1080/00224545.1995.9711398