Bonnie Linn
Writing Workshop II
Professor Keefer
May 10, 1997

Windows and How They Affect Human Behavior or Windows and the "Rameses Complex"

You might wonder where the term "Rameses Complex" comes from. For a bit of background, the movie, The Ten Commandments, is about how the Hebrews came to be freed from bondage and how they were delivered out of Egypt, and how God gave them the Ten Commandments. However, for purposes of this paper, Rameses is the main character of interest. Rameses was Pharaoh of Egypt at the time and decreed that a city should be built in his honor. Moses was sent to build this city, which he did with great success. Rameses went to see the construction of the city in progress and, as Moses pulled back the curtains from the palace windows, Rameses viewed the City of Goshom that was being built in his honor. The city was filled with images of Rameses and dhis name was inscribed everywhere. Moses declared that Goshom and all within its borders belonged to Rameses and that it was Rameses' greatest triumph. Thus, the creation of the Rameses Complex. Although the term Rameses Complex is a state of mind, a working definition would be making your mark on the city, the desire to conquer, or to own all that is within your borders. Like Rameses, throughout our lives, we set certain goals for ourselves and as we accomplish these goals they become our triumphs and conquests. To some, and particularly in the workplace today, one of these goals may be to obtain that office with the window. Reason would dictate that the size of the office space would be most important to the individual, however, this is not necessarily true. Windows would be the enticement for the individual because not everyone wants to be Pharaoh of the company and the big, posh, corner office is not of interest to them. Some people are more like Dathan, the Hebrew overseer in The Ten Commandments. Dathan was content being the head of a department, but that is not to say he was any less ambitious than the Pharaoh in his desire for a window. The windows from which Rameses and Dathan viewed their city may have been on different social levels, but the windows from which they viewed the city still signified their conquests and triumphs. The story of Rameses and Dathan is from a movie and circumstances in today's workplace are slightly different - but only slightly. Just like Rameses, attorneys have the same desire to conquer and to put their mark on the city. They work hard to acquire the windowed office and once that office is achieved, they generally gain a certain status within their working environment. As a result of this change in status, their self-perception changes and they assume a different attitude. This attitude often manifests itself as the Rameses Complex. An example of self-perception and status displays itself in the following story overheard at a party. An individual was hired as an attorney by a government agency. When he started working, he perceived himself to be so important that he felt that there must be some specific way that he should present himself to his colleagues. He perceived that there must be some appropriate body language to indicate his newly acquired status. As he worked, he would either stand up at his desk or lean back in his chair with his arms crossed or pace the floor as he was thinking. Finally, his office mate looked at him and asked if he was troubled by something since he could never sit still. Although this particular example does not include windows, it illustrates how, "People will cling to an image tenaciously and let go only when forced" (Klapp 128). And this image or self-perception is the important factor in human behavior and how a person's self-perception is elevated by windows. To understand how windows elevate self-perception, it is necessary to determine the symbolism of windows and how they have become such a significant part of American culture. According to Duncan, "Symbolic integration is achieved through naming" (21). This "symbolic integration" (Duncan) of windows has occurred because windows have been a part of a person's space since the beginning of "permanent building construction" (Tutt). The windows in these permanent structures were simply holes in the walls, with no covering, to allow for movement of light and air through the structure. Coverings were later created out of different materials such as thin slabs of marble, mica sheets, and oiled paper. Glass became the material of choice for window construction in Roman architecture during the Byzantine era by using bronze "muntins" and small panes of glazed glass. These first windows were used as decoration. It wasn't until later that the placement of windows took on an importance. This placement of windows within a structure, known as "fenestration", was especailly important during the years that the "Gothic structural system" was utilized (Tutt). Churches and cathedrals are the buildings most associated with Gothic architecture and the use of windows in this style became very important with respect to "theological considerations" because the light shining through the stained glass windows in these structures was considered "a light from heaven" and "was equated with the divine radiance" (McClellan). Thus, windows began to assume a more "iconic" (Research) meaning and an importance with respect to our lives. Possibly, the Puritan influence in this country since the early 15th century had something to do with the "symbolic integration" (Duncan 21) of windows into American culture. The significance of windows has filtered down over the centuries into our daily lives. For example, in 18th century England, individuals were taxed based upon the number of windows they had in their home (Webster's). This is an indication of how the significance of windows has filtered down through the centuries. Even in 20th century America, children learn the significance of light and windows at an early age. In a Presbyterian upbringing, a child attending church school and services must sit and listen to the Minister's sermon and Sunday lesson, which can be pure torture to a young child. However, the most amusing times for a child who must sit and listen to something they don't fully understand can be the days when the sky is cloudless and the sun shines through the stained glass windows of the church. The stained glass filters the light into thin rays of multi-colored light that stretch across the white walls of a church in a kaleidoscope design. Whenever a breeze moves the trees outside, the design on the walls change. For the child, this early introduction to the significance of windows is further amplified when the Minister teaches that the light shining through the windows is God's light. Indeed, Christian education includes many references to light and its association to God and goodness. The Bible, one of the most widely read books in the world, establishes the significance of light immediately within the first page of the Book of Genesis. The passage "and God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness" (Ch 1 v 4) not only establishes the significance of light, it also adds value to the window. Literally, from the beginning, light became a symbol of goodness that was created and offered to the world by God. Other passages in the first chapter of Genesis further glorify light and establish its importance by describing it as "the greater light" that would "rule the day" (Ch 1 v 16). At this point, "symbolic integration" (Duncan 21) of the window occurs because light shining through the window has been established or "named" (Duncan 21) as being a symbol of goodness or a gift from God. This symbol of light is only one of the millions of signs and symbols that inundate our daily lives. American culture has taught us that signs and symbols represent specific things. The simplest example of how our cultural upbringing defines the way in which we interpret signs and symbols is the stop sign. A person living in the United States and traveling from New York to California by car would immediately understand that, upon seeing a stop sign, they should stop at the intersection, check for oncoming vehicles, and then proceed through the intersection. However, someone from another country who is visiting the United States may not have the same cultural understanding of the stop sign that we have. In Greece, for example, even though the words on the sign say "stop", culturally the sign means slow down slightly, pull out into the street, then drive like hell so you don't get hit by oncoming traffic. Another example is the green traffic light. In the United States, we culturally interpret the green light as a symbol that means proceed through the intersection without stopping. In Brazil, however, even though the green light has the same meaning as the United States, the cultural interpretation is different. Brazilian drivers, especially in Rio de Janeiro, stop at a green light first, then proceed. The reason for this is because Brazilian drivers have a habit of running red lights. This cultural interpretation may be a safety precaution in Brazil, but in the United States this practice could have serious consequences. These instances represent how a "meaning of a symbol is determined on the basis of the cultural content or subjective meaning it conveys" (Rossi 135). Although Rossi was speaking of "semiotic structuralism" in linguistics, this thought applies to windows because the value of a window can be "determined from its position within a system of relational differences and oppositions" (Rossi 135). The "cultural content" (135) Rossi writes about allows people to communicate in non-verbal ways and one of those ways of communicating non-verbally is with signs and symbols. The study of signs and symbols and their "meaning" (Brandt, General) is called semiotics. Within this study of semiotics there are several categories of non-verbal communication (Cowan) but this paper focuses specifically on proxemics. Proxemics is a term that was originated by Edward T. Hall, a professor of cultural anthropology (Hall). Proxemics is also called "spatial relationships" (Scrolls) and throughout this paper the terms are used interchangeably. Spatial relationships, or proxemics, is defined by Professor Hall as "the interrelated observations and theories of man's use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture" (Hall 1). In laymen's terms, it means the way a person uses personal and social space and how it is perceived which is determined, in large part, by a person's culture. Another explanation would be that it is body language used in culturally defined ways. Professor Hall explains in his book The Hidden Dimension how cultural differences can cause different meanings to be communicated and how different understandings of those meanings can be received. The Japanese culture is an example of how the use of body language can be used to create spatial relationships. Michael Howard, a cultural anthropologist, found that, in a crowded space such as a public bath, Japanese women and children were able to create their own space by using their bodies to either include or exclude others. They accomplished this by slightly turning their bodies inward toward the others in their group to create an invisible boundary (Howard). The "defense of [their] personal space...is a matter of gesture, posture, and choosing a location that conveys a clear meaning to others" (Sommer 45). However, in the United States this crowded condition would be culturally unacceptable because Americans value space. This non-verbal communication shows the difference in "expected distance" (Sommer 36) between two cultures. The "expected distance" (Sommer 36) that Professor Hall considers in The Hidden Dimension, are called "personal" or "social" distances. It must be understood and stressed here that a working environment is also a culture. So how does this relate to windows affecting human behavior? Let's assume for the moment that an attorney has just moved into a windowed office after several years of being in a non-windowed office, specifically attorneys in the workplace. Finally achieving a windowed space, this attorney is going to feel important and is going to create a spatial relationship with the other attorneys. How would that affect the spatial relationships of the attorneys? Well, a major portion of communication is done non-verbally. This allows for perceptions, perceived or not, of class separation and elitist attitudes or "spatial segregation" (Sommer 41) among those attorneys that have windows. This class separation may also be the work of the subordinate individuals within the office. To illustrate how windows create class separation, I interviewed Ed Nichols, the manager of one of New York University's computing facilities. Mr. Nichols works in a space without any outside windows; however, he does have a glass window separating him from the general work area. If a student unfamiliar with the room walked into the computing facility, that student's societal perceptions would immediately interpret that Mr. Nichols is spatially segregated behind the glass window and he is, therefore, the person in charge. Mr. Nichols indicated that, although he does not necessarily feel important, it is true that people visiting the computing facility do, in fact, treat him differently than those working in the general work area (Nichols). Mr. Nichols does not have the Rameses personality like attorneys, however, unconsciously, he does communicate a class separation. Mr. Nichols' spatial relationship with his co-workers indicates that windows do have an affect on human behavior. You must also think in terms of value of space when thinking about windows and their effects on human behavior. Americans are very territorial as evidenced by our laws on searches and seizures (Hall 10). In fact, for decades in American business hierarchy, there has not been a status symbol more "sacrosanct" (BusinessWeek) than the executive suite. Depicting the windowed space as a status symbol bestows that same status upon the person sitting in that office. Therefore, a person wishing to preserve that image, becomes more protective of their space because their space has become more valuable. A symbol loses meaning as it becomes more widely used or there is a "loss of scarcity" (Klapp, Inflation 5) but as Klapp suggests in Inflation of Symbols, there are five type of "social magnifiers" that inflate a symbol and cause them to lose value. They are: 1)"overstatement", 2) "crusading", 3) "contagious communication", 4) "self-expansion by identification with others", and 5) "oversupply" (4). Klapp compares overstatement to a balloonfish that puffs itself out so it appears threatening to any intruders. Like a balloonfish, an attorney with a windowed space can puff himself up so that he appears, not threatening in this case, but more important to those in the immediate area. Klapp also calls this "self-enlargement" (7). However, if attorneys in the windowed spaces continally puff up their own importance, the space loses value because the attorney loses credibility. With respect to crusading, Klapp states, that it is, "Faith in one's own righteousness [that] is a chief mark of the crusader" and that it is "a self-righteousness that verges upon authoritarianism when one thinks only his own view is right and does not hesitate to impose it upon others" (21). Crusading is conquering and obtaining a windowed office or space is a goal to conquer. For contagious communication, Klapp likens it to the commom cold because it is passed unwittingly from one person to another with "signals [that] act on us so compellingly that we accept and obey them uncritically and unwittingly, and we label such communication: authority [and] prestige" (59). People are so enamoured by others of greater status, that they try to emulate them. However, if the association continues unchecked, the value of the status diminishes. Self-expansion or "emotional hitchhiking" (73) allows the attorney to identify with those that have already enhanced their status but if everyone in the rank and file has windowed space, the attorneys' status would diminish. Oversupply (89-90) is similiar to emotional hitchhiking. It is an abundance of windows given to people of lesser rank which will erode the value of a windowed space. Because of these "social magnifiers" (Klapp, Inflation 4) and the desire to maintain a certain status, attorneys protect their space because any shared windowed space is shared status. The Japanese, on the other hand, according to architect Rafael Vinoly, are "puzzled by openness" (Moonan 24) that is created by windows. Although Vinoly is referring to the Glass Hall in the new Tokyo public center called the Forum that he designed, this sentiment can be applied to windows in general. The Glass Hall, as the name implies, is made of glass and the Japanese are more culturally familiar with doors as status symbols. As John Cuadrado suggests, doors are "More than purely [a] practical means of ingress and egress, doorways communicate" and they "represent a building and its inhabitants" (164). Doors "dramatize" (Cuadrado) status in Japan as windows do in American culture. Since Americans value space, those without a specific windowed territory tend to make "status generalizations" (Webster 1). Status generalization means "importing of status distinctions that exist in the outside world, and allowing them to determine certain features of interaction in small groups" (Webster 1). "Status generalizations are used to predict behavior" (Webster 3). Although Webster and Foschi use status generalization in terms of gender, the use of it here is appropriate because the have's and have not's can be looked at in terms of gender. This paper did not start out as a criticism of attorneys and should not be construed as such. Attorneys were simply the human factor used to support the thesis because they were the professionals that provided the most readily available material. Additionally, it was not a comparison between windows and religion. It is a paper on the connection between windows and human behavior. Rameses' behavior was extreme but he was Pharaoh and he had been born to rule. Although most people do not have Rameses' extreme desire for control and conquest, what we view outside of our windows is our kingdom. Because of windows, we place ourselves in a higher status and create a self-perception or image of importance. However, fear of losing our windows and ths our status within our working environment makes us become territorial with our space. The working environment, where we spend a major portion of our time, is an extension of ourselves and is a representation of our accomplishments and goals. 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