Avoid Touch

According to the textbook, “Much as we touch and are touched, we also avoid touch from certain people and in certain circumstances” (DeVito 146). In my opinion, touch avoidance is when we do not like to touch another person and at the same time also do not like people to touch us. Different people have different way of communication. Even the same person at different times may have different levels of touch avoidance.

I think I am a high touch avoidant person. Sometimes high touch avoidant may bring some problems. For example, in China we do not like to touch each other at normal communication, but in the United States people like to hug each other. When friends see each other they feel happy; they may want to hug each other. This really made me feel uncomfortable because I come from a different culture. In my country, we do not like to share hugs between friends except with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Now I feel comfortable with this kind touch because I think I should adapt to the culture. With this I figured out when we come together with different cultures, we may have different levels of touch avoidance.