Body Language of Bad Posture
Cue: Bad Posture.
Synonym(s): Slouching Posture, Slumped Posture, Poor Posture.
Description: Bad posture happens when the joints are bent, the spine is misaligned and twisted and the person is not able to optimally balance the mass of the body over its framework.
In One Sentence: Bad posture signifies a lack of overall confidence and can indicate a person’s past history of failure.
How To Use it: Bad posture is universally negative and should be avoided generally. However, one might use bad posture to show that ones is apathetic to the situation such as when one is trying to feign fatigue and does not have the energy for a specific task that one wishes to avoid. A bad posture can garner sympathy from others and be useful in dropping or reducing punishment as people assume that one has already suffered enough.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “Because life has treated poorly I hold a defeated, slumped over posture indicating my discomfort, lack of self esteem and misery.”
Variant: See Cocooning, Slouching, Body Raising, Erect Posture or Good Posture.
Cue In Action: Mark carried himself poorly. His shoulders hunched over, his head drooped and hung low. You just knew looking at him that he had experienced grief and depression. He really let life get the best of him and he obviously didn’t know how to take control of his circumstances.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Bad posture means that the bones are not aligned properly throughout the body making the muscles work overtime.
Posture is a term derived from the Latin verb “ponere” meaning “to put in place” and refers to the way the body is held including the arms, legs and spine. Posture refers not only to the erectness of our bodies, but also to our body orientation, direction of lean, and the degree to which our bodies are open and inviting.
Posture tells us a lot about a person and their history and feelings about themselves and how they feel about others. For example, shoulders hunched carries negative sentiments whereas shoulders back mean confidence. Posture can give way to feelings of like or dislike, interest or disinterest as well as many other sentiments.
Postural tonus is a term referring to the relative rigidity and erectness of the body and its overall posture. A “slopper” holds his shoulders rounded and head hanging downward proving to be depressed, drowsy or ill whereas “the scout” carries himself fully erect with shoulders back and head held high depicting confidence and good spirit. Having an erect posture is a sign of high confidence, strength and vigor. People with erect postures are seen as leaders, content and positive. Contrast erect posture with a slouched or limp posture.
Cue Cluster: Other positive cues are associated with a slumped posture such as weak or non-existent eye contact, little or no affect, expressionless faces or grimacing, dropping eyes, and so forth.
Body Language Category: Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Leadership body language, Up nonverbals.
Resources:
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