Territory on Campus by Rob Dufour

At the end of class a few days ago Dr.Redick asked us to observe the social groups of CNU and focus on the importance of their location on campus. We started talking about how different groups have seemed to claim spots of their own, such as the “couch people” or the “tree people”, but we were also instructed to think about why people claim these spots. While I was reflecting on this I thought back to my second psychology class of this semester. The first day was nothing out of the ordinary; it was everyone trying to get a feel for the course, the instructor, and the other students. However, on the second day my professor brought up a very interesting point. He asked us why we choose the seat we were currently sitting in, he then asked us how many people are sitting in the exact same seat today that we were sitting in on the first day. About 80% of the class admitted to sitting in the same seat. The most interesting part was when he then asked the remaining 20% why we choose a different seat, and the majority of us (myself included), responded it was because we arrived too late and someone else was our seats. He asked us if when we came in and saw someone else in our seat if it made us a little mad – not angry, but a little perturbed, like someone was trespassing on our property. This was really fascinating because as soon as I walked in that day and saw someone in “my seat” I got a little agitated but I soon forgot all about it. The reason for this is because even as sophisticated as we are, we are still animals and share many similar qualities with the animals of the wild. When we walk in on our first classes of the semester, we may not be conscious of it, but we claim our territory in the class. If someone takes it over we will generally not fight or even say a word, because we are more civilized, but we will feel a little uncomfortable with the switch. This, I believe, is the reasoning for social groups marking their territory on campus. Not only is it a place that is unique to them but it also represents a place that is familiar. Familiarity plays a huge part in social interactions, especially when considering how conducive a setting is for leisure time. For example, one would be much more likely to have a relaxed and friendly conversation in a familiar friend’s living room than in a strange office room. That’s just how we work – we like what we know, territory included.