The various degrees of touch/haptics can all be misconstrued by the receiver of the touch. Briefly describe three categories of touch, and explain how each could be misconstrued for another category.

What will be an ideal response?

- The kind and amount of appropriate touch varies according to the individuals, their relationship, and the situation.
- The categories of touch identified by researchers are functional-professional, social-polite, friendship-warmth, love-intimacy, and sexual arousal. (Student responses must describe three of the five categories).
* Functional-professional: Unsympathetic, impersonal, cold, or businesslike touch
* Social-polite: Acknowledges another person according to the norms or rules of a society
* Friendship-warmth: Expresses an appreciation of the special attributes of another or warm feelings for another; the most misinterpreted type of touching behavior
* Love-intimacy: Occurs in romantic relationships between lovers and spouses; highly communicative and usually requires consent between both parties, even though one party might not reciprocate
* Sexual arousal: The most intimate level of personal contact with another; expresses physical attraction between consenting individuals
- Student examples will vary.