Civil inattention
Encyclopedia
Civil inattention is the process whereby strangers who are in close proximity demonstrate that they are aware of one another, without imposing on each other. Civil inattention is "a sign of recognition that others have claims to a shared space or environment", as well as being a way to "signal to strangers a sense of boundary
and self-enclosure".
as part of the "surface character of public order ... individuals exert respectful care in regard to the setting and treat others present with civil inattention" in order to make anonymised life in cities possible.
"Civil inattention is not ignoring someone, giving them non-person treatment, nor is it uncivil attention, as occurs when one person pointedly stares at another". Rather, it involves for example "scanning upcoming pedestrians but doing so in an unobtrusive and non-threatening way". Typically, on approaching a stranger on a public street, "at about 10–12 feet from one another we have a very brief exchange of eye contact
, and then avert our eyes. In making eye contact we acknowledge that we see the other person, and will not invade their territory. In averting our gaze, we display our lack of recognition of the other and our unwillingness to become more familiar", or invite conversation
.
In short, "Goffman's description of 'civil inattention' refers to the manners of distancing oneself" unobtrusively in publicsomething which can make privacy
in a crowd possible.
s are often struck by such routines, and sometimes interpret them as callous or coldly indifferentat best "a neutrality, opacity, and emotional mediocrity, that enable millions of human beings to live side by side without exterminating each other". Civil inattention can lead to feelings of loneliness
or invisibility
, and it reduces the tendency to feel responsibility for the well-being of others.
"Sometimes civil inattention can seem more honoured in the breach ... public harassment includes shouted remarks, gratuitous insults and innuendoes, staring, stalking
and the like". Goffman noted that "when men and women cross each other's path at close quarters, the male will exercise the right to look for a second or two at the female ... Civil inattention, then, can here involve a degree of role differentiation regarding obligations". Feminists took up the issue with reference to the public double standard
, complaining that "women are 'open persons', open to casual comments on their appearance and behaviour".
R.D. Laing pointed out that "the loss of the experience of an area of unqualified privacy, by its transformation into a quasi-public realm, is often one of the decisive changes associated with the process of going mad ... the 'loss of ego boundarya backhanded tribute to the utility of the (acquired) capacity for civil inattention.
. Mellinger, Wayne M. "Doing Modernity Through Civil Inattention" in the blog "Doing Modernity" originally published in 1959
Personal boundaries
Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify for him- or herself what are reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave around him or her and how he or she will respond when someone steps outside those limits.'Personal boundaries define...
and self-enclosure".
In practice
Civil inattention was described by Erving GoffmanErving Goffman
Erving Goffman was a Canadian-born sociologist and writer.The 73rd president of American Sociological Association, Goffman's greatest contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction in the form of dramaturgical perspective that began with his 1959 book The Presentation of Self...
as part of the "surface character of public order ... individuals exert respectful care in regard to the setting and treat others present with civil inattention" in order to make anonymised life in cities possible.
"Civil inattention is not ignoring someone, giving them non-person treatment, nor is it uncivil attention, as occurs when one person pointedly stares at another". Rather, it involves for example "scanning upcoming pedestrians but doing so in an unobtrusive and non-threatening way". Typically, on approaching a stranger on a public street, "at about 10–12 feet from one another we have a very brief exchange of eye contact
Eye contact
Eye contact is a meeting of the eyes between two individuals.In human beings, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and is thought to have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the term has come in the West to often define the act as a meaningful and...
, and then avert our eyes. In making eye contact we acknowledge that we see the other person, and will not invade their territory. In averting our gaze, we display our lack of recognition of the other and our unwillingness to become more familiar", or invite conversation
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
.
In short, "Goffman's description of 'civil inattention' refers to the manners of distancing oneself" unobtrusively in publicsomething which can make privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
in a crowd possible.
Negative aspects
Newcomers to urban areaUrban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s are often struck by such routines, and sometimes interpret them as callous or coldly indifferentat best "a neutrality, opacity, and emotional mediocrity, that enable millions of human beings to live side by side without exterminating each other". Civil inattention can lead to feelings of loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships. However, it is a subjective experience...
or invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
, and it reduces the tendency to feel responsibility for the well-being of others.
"Sometimes civil inattention can seem more honoured in the breach ... public harassment includes shouted remarks, gratuitous insults and innuendoes, staring, stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
and the like". Goffman noted that "when men and women cross each other's path at close quarters, the male will exercise the right to look for a second or two at the female ... Civil inattention, then, can here involve a degree of role differentiation regarding obligations". Feminists took up the issue with reference to the public double standard
Double standard
A double standard is the unjust application of different sets of principles for similar situations. The concept implies that a single set of principles encompassing all situations is the desirable ideal. The term has been used in print since at least 1895...
, complaining that "women are 'open persons', open to casual comments on their appearance and behaviour".
Insanity of place
In his article, "The Insanity of Place", Goffman stressed that "one very important organizational locus for mental symptoms consists of public and semi-public placestreets, shops, neighbourhoods, public transportation and the like. In these places a fine mesh of obligations obtains which ensures the orderly traffic and co-mingling of participants"civil inattention. He goes on to emphasise that "many classic symptoms of psychosis are precise and pointed violations of these territorial arrangements. There are encroachments, as when a mental patient visiting a supermarket gratuitously riffles through a shopper's cart, or ... 'hyperpreclusions', as when a patient shies away from passing glances".R.D. Laing pointed out that "the loss of the experience of an area of unqualified privacy, by its transformation into a quasi-public realm, is often one of the decisive changes associated with the process of going mad ... the 'loss of ego boundarya backhanded tribute to the utility of the (acquired) capacity for civil inattention.
See also
- FaceFace (sociological concept)Face, idiomatically meaning dignity/prestige, is a fundamental concept in the fields of sociology, sociolinguistics, semantics, politeness theory, psychology, political science, communication, and Face Negotiation Theory.-Definitions:...
- Ideas of referenceIdeas of referenceIdeas of reference and delusions of reference involve people having a belief or perception that irrelevant, unrelated or innocuous phenomena in the world refer to them directly or have special personal significance: 'the notion that everything one perceives in the world relates to one's own...
- PersonaPersona (psychology)The Persona, for Jung, was the social face the individual presented to the world - 'a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual'....
- Public spacePublic spaceA public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...
Further reading
- Giddens, Anthony SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
2nd edition polity press 1994 - Bauman, Zygmunt & May, Tim Thinking Sociologically 2nd edition Blackwell Publishing 2001
- Goffman, E. (1984) The Presentation of Self in Everyday LifeThe Presentation of Self in Everyday LifeThe Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a seminal sociology book by Erving Goffman. It uses the imagery of the theatre in order to portray the importance of human – namely, social – action. The book was published in 1959. See dramaturgy for a detailed analysis.-Summary:In the center of the...
(Harmondsworth: Penguin)
. Mellinger, Wayne M. "Doing Modernity Through Civil Inattention" in the blog "Doing Modernity" originally published in 1959