Privacy and Interaction Within the Family as Related to Dwelling Space.

The spatial dimensions and arrangement of the dwelling can affect family interaction and privacy of individuals as well as dictate house use patterns of family members. Study was made of 20 five-member families in four stages of the life cycle who lived in controlled house space. The children of the last tow groups of families were no longer in the home. Analysis is made of differences and similarities in time spent in privacy and interaction by role positions and for families as a unit. Factors other than amount of space and family size which have bearing on interaction and privacy include stage of the family life cycle, allocation of space to persons and for use, age and sex of children, orientation to privacy by individuals, and husband's occupation demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]