sociopetal

English

Etymology

From socio- +‎ -petal. Coined by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in 1957 (see quotations).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsəʊ.si.ə(ʊ)ˈpiː.tl̩/, /ˌsəʊ.ʃi.ə(ʊ)ˈpiː.tl̩/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˌsoʊ.si.o(ʊ)ˈpidl̩/, /ˌsoʊ.ʃi.o(ʊ)ˈpidl̩/
Hyphenation: so‧ci‧o‧pe‧tal

Adjective

sociopetal (comparative more sociopetal, superlative most sociopetal)

(of a grouping of people) arranged so that each can see and interact with the others.
- 1957 April, Humphry Osmond, Mental Hospitals 1957-04: Vol 8 Iss 4‎^[1]:
  Sociopetality is that quality which encourages, fosters and even enforces the development of stable interpersonal relationships such as are found in small, face-to-face groups. The tepee, the igloo, the Zulu kraal are examples of buildings that could be described as highly sociopetal.
- 1963, Eliot Freidson, The Hospital in Modern Society‎^[2]:
  Rather than design and furnish wards that further the patient’s desire to retreat from people, most psychiatrists would like to establish sociopetal wards in which patients are oriented toward other people.
- 1978, Paul A Bell et al., Environmental Psychology‎^[3]:
  Since there were few semiprivate sociopetal spaces or other facilities that could promote the formation of a social order, the informal social networks found in lower class neighborhoods didn’t develop.
- 1981, Forrest J. Berghorn et al., The Dynamics of Aging‎^[4]:
  Sommer suggested that conversation among patients might be increased by rearranging the furniture into a “sociopetal” arrangement, with small numbers of chairs arranged in conversational groupings.
- 1994, Webber, Robert, Music and the Arts in Christian worship‎^[5]:
  A sociopetal pattern, seats arranged in a circular type setting, encourages interaction, focuses people on the center of the room, and brings them together. We find this arrangement at the dining room table where family and guests eat and drink as friends.

Antonyms

sociofugal