What a disaster! --As used in Jewish communities, "The hand clasps the neck behind the ear" (Morris 1994:168).. 1. Touching, scratching, or holding the back of the neck or head with an opened palm. 2. In variant forms, a. reaching a hand upward to scratch an ear, grasp an earlobe, or stimulate an ear canal; and b. touching, scratching, or rubbing the cheek or side of the neck.
Usage: In a conversation, hand-behind-head may be read as a
potential sign of uncertainty, conflict, disagreement, frustration, anger, or
disliking (i.e., social aversion). It usually reflects
negative thoughts, feelings, and moods. In counseling, interviewing,
and cross-examining, the gesture telegraphs a probing
point, i.e., an unresolved issue to be verbalized and
explored.
Culture. Note that hand-behind-head is an
asymmetrical gesture made with one hand only (see below,
Neuro-notes). In the U.S., leaning back and placing both hands
behind the neck in the bilateral head clamp posture is a nonverbal sign
of dominance. "This display reveals that someone feels no need to show eagerness
or attention" (Morris 1994:142; see IMMEDIACY).
Emoticon. For Japanese e-mail users, in the phrase (^o^;>), "The
triangular shape on the right apparently represents a protruding elbow and stems
from the fact that an embarrassed or apologetic person will sometimes scratch
the back of his or her head" (Pollack N.D.).
Observations.
1. Asked if he would like to have lunch with the group, a
hesitant co-worker touches the back of his head with his hand. Sensing
uncertainty, a colleague responds, "Maybe tomorrow?" 2. Seeing
his boss reach for her earlobe as he raises a sensitive point, an
account executive proceeds with caution to resolve the issue.
3. When Jones suggests a new idea at the weekly staff meeting,
Smith glances away and clasps his neck. Sensing resistance (which could
fester and sabotage the proposal), Jones asks Smith to voice his opinion to the
group in words.
U.S. politics. On the December 29th, 2000
Tonight Show, while explaining problems to Jay Leno about his network's
flawed projection of the winner of the U.S. Presidential contest in Florida
(i.e., in declaring Al Gore, and then George W. Bush, the victor), NBC
Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw lifted his right hand upward and then
reached it backward to scratch the crown of his coiffed hairdo, in an
unconscious, hand-behind-head-like sign of depleted perplexity.
RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. "At the beginning of
the sequence, mother and son are flirting happily, until she picks up another
baby. Her son, I Karsa, shows jealousy [i.e., displays the hand-behind-head
gesture] when she suckles this other baby, and as the sequence continues, his
behavior alternates between impotent misery and rage" (Bateson and Mead
1942:160). 2. In conflict situations scratching behind the
ear is a displacement sign (Tinbergen 1951). 3. In
psychiatric settings, patients used hand-behind-head cues when disagreeing with
physicians (Grant 1969). 4. In children and adults,
palm-to-back-of-neck occurs in psychologically frustrating situations
(Brannigan and Humphries 1969). 5. Athletes use
hand-behind-head gestures when frustrated or angry (Nierenberg and Calero 1971).
6. When a child must choose between joining or leaving his
mother, he may "touch the back of his head with the flat of his hand, then set
off to rejoin the mother" (Anderson 1972:211). 7. "Mr. X when involved in
group discussion on another patient's homosexuality placed his hand on the back
of his neck (hand to neck) when saying the word 'homosexual'" (Brannigan
and Humphries 1972:55). 8. In a frustrating, puzzling, or
conflict situation, deaf-and-blind-born children scratch their heads
(Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1973). 9. In two-to-five year old children,
hand-behind-head and gaze avoidance are responses to parental scolding (Givens
1977B). 10. In the neck clamp, a sign of unexpressed
anger, "The hand swings up abruptly to clamp itself hard on to the nape of the
neck. This unconscious action is a telltale sign of suddenly aroused, but
otherwise unexpressed anger" (Morris 1994:167).
E-Commentary: "During interviews, I
have observed people touching the back of the neck immediately after being told
that they are suspect, and then followed up each time the investigators were
accurate in describing something only the suspect knew about. I have also noted
the speed at which the arm races to the back of the neck and head as being
significant, and the amount of force applied once the hand reached the head or
back of neck. Strong massaging action has also been observed especially when
difficult circumstances are being contemplated. One of the other things I look
for is not just that the hand dashes to the back of the head, but also how long
the hand loiters in the area, and in reaction to what specifically was being
discussed. At the same time, I look for the angle of the head and neck as the
hand strokes the back of the head or neck. The greater the angle away from the
verticle, the more troublesome the issue for the person. I saw a man literally
bend forward to the point where he lifted himself off of the chair as he brought
his hand to the back of the neck and then bent forward as he was being
confronted. I hope this helps; let me know if I can give you additional
insight." --J.N., FBI (2/25/00 5:22:43 PM Pacific Standard Time)
Neuro-notes. Hand-behind-head is a gestural fossil left over from spinal-cord circuits designed to keep the body upright in relation to gravity through neck reflexes (specifically, the ATNR). Rotating or bending the head to the right, e.g., produces bending (i.e., flexion) of the left arm, which may curl behind the back of the head (Ghez 1991) in a fencing posture. Negative opinions, feelings, and moods stimulate defensive withdrawal (i.e., an avoider's response mediated by paleocircuits of the brain-stem and spinal cord) as we unconsciously turn away from persons arousing the emotion. Areas of the limbic system, including the amygdala and cingulate gyrus (Damasio 1994), in tandem with the basal ganglia (MacLean 1990), may trigger the response. Turning the head away stimulates muscle-spindle receptors of the neck, and receptors in joints of the upper cervical vertebrae, releasing the unconscious arm movements of the ATNR.
See also FLEXION WITHDRAWAL.
Copyright 1998 - 2018 (David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)
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