Two studies examine the use of personal space by persons in interactions involving stigmatized individuals. In the first, responses on a figureplacement task and on an attitude questionnaire are compared. In the second, interactions involving a prrson believed to have epilepsy are examined in regard to both initial interaction distance and eye contact. The expectation that the ascription of epilepsy to 2 stranger will result in less proximate interaction than in the m e in which epilepsy is not ascribed to the stranger is supported. Degree of eye contact, however, was found not to differ for stigmatized and nonstigmatized interactions.The ways in which persons use physical space when interacting with others have only recently come under systemarlc analysis (e.g., Hall, 1959;Sommer, 1967). One focus of this research has been on the spacing, variously termed personal space or individual distance, which persons characteristically employ in interpersonal interactions. While the methodology has varied from projectivelike tests on the one hand (Little, 1965) to naturally occurring interactions on the other (Willis, 1966), it has been found that incerpersonal distance is systematically related to a nurber of variables. Increasing degrees of friendship (Willis, 1966), approval seeking (Rosenfeld, 1965), and extroversion (Leipold, 1963) are examples of variables which tend to increase the proximity at which interaction will take place. The two studies reported below attempt to extend the analysis of this problem area by examining the effect of the presence of a stigmatized person on A e use of personal space. In combination, they also seek to explore the relationship between a projective method on the one hand and an accual interaction situation on the other for assessing interaction distances. Goffman (1963) and others have recently attempted to delineate the implications of stigmatizing conditions for the nature of incerpersonal interactions. A stigmatized person is defined by Goffman as one who has a personal attribute or characteristic which is discrediting in the eyes of ochers. Examples of such characteristics would include a criminal record, a physical disability, or being Negro in a white society. He argues that the presence of such a characteristic will result in avoidance of the possessor of the EXPERIMENT I