Abstract

Keeping Your Distance: A Grounded Theory Analysis of a Basic Social Process

Abstract

This analysis began with inquiries into the substantive area of Distance Education. Grounded theory method analysis revealed a pattern of problem solving behavior. A theory of this basic social process emerged around the core variable "//Keeping Your Distance//". The theory of //keeping your distance// is an integrated set of concepts referring to the conscious and unconscious strategies that people use to regulate distance, physical and representative, in their everyday lives. Strategies are used to control physical, emotional and psychological realities and to conserve personal energy in interactions with individuals and/or institutions. The theory of //keeping your distance// follows a conditions/consequences model with covariance. Various conditions evoke a system of strategic response patterns which result in consequences. Responses and their consequences change conditions and result in additional adjustments made on an ongoing basis. For all social interactions, people use an algorithm of engagement with a personal coefficient of distance. The coefficient allows variation but calculations are weighted in the direction of greater distance. This emerging, multivariate conceptual theory may be of interest to researchers in the fields of psycho-social processes, critical theory, institutional advancement and marketing. The theory of //keeping your distance// also provides a theoretical foothold for considerations of the changing notions of distance in the face of new developments in the field of ICT and social networking.

Keywords: "Keeping your distance", Distance Education, Grounded Theory method, control,