Interaction distance anxiety in the counseling dyad

Presented photographs of 5 dyadic interaction distances (30, 39, 50, 66, and 88 in.) to 66 male and 66 female undergraduates. Ss rated anxiety (using the Cole and Oetting Concept-Specific Anxiety Scale) associated with each distance with either no instructional set or with a personal-counseling set. At all distances, females responded with higher anxiety scores than males and personal-counseling set Ss responded with higher anxiety scores than no-set Ss. Anxiety scores across distances indicate that the nearer (30 in.) and far (88 in.) distances received the highest anxiety ratings with intermediate distances being rated significantly lower. Results are discussed with reference to previous research and implications for counseling practice.