Fighting for our personal space in the skies and back on earth

Some recent incidents of passenger air rage may point to a larger issue of people believing they're losing control of their personal space. From close talkers ... to those who hover. we're crowding into your personal space today, examining what-it-is about North Americans that makes. in-your-face encounters out-of-bounds.

Comics Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln Neal -- know how to stay out of someone's personal space when on an airplane. But it's a social skill many lack.

Last week, a case of recliner rage forced a United Airlines flight to land. A passenger used a device called a Knee Defender to prevent the woman in front of him from reclining. Things got really warm when the man with the knee defender got a cup of water in the face.

Then, a few days later a Miami to Paris flight was diverted to Boston when another reclining incident caused a passenger to fly into a rage -- and into the company of Massachusetts police.

• Sara Nelson knows how intense these incidents can be. She is the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents nearly 60,000 flight attendants.

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Here are Debby Mayne's guidelines on personal space etiquette:

You never touch someone you don't know.

You never reach for someone's children regardless of what your intentions are.

You usually stand at least four feet away from a person unless you know him well that seems to be the comfort level.

When someone leans away from you generally that means you are in that person's personal space and its making him or her uncomfortable.

You never lean over someone shoulder to read something or to look at what they have written unless you are invited to do so.

You should never go through someone's purse, wallet or personal belongings without and invitation.

You don't let your dog go on someone's property unless they are invited.

You always acknowledge personal space when you are driving. That's another thing, don't tailgate. People are uncomfortable with tailgaters.

Don't fling your arms around someone's shoulders or slap them on the back unless you know them well enough to know it will not offend them.

At the office you shouldn't hug or do anything that is too familiar or may appear to be too familiar to other coworkers.

And you should never step into someone's workspace, for example a cubicle unless you know you are welcome and you should always be respectful if the person is busy you stand outside their cubicle space and wait until they observe you and invite you in.

And the same thing goes for personal conversations because that enters into the area of personal space.

• Dr. Allan Schwartz. is a clinical social worker and therapist in Port Charlotte, Florida. He has some thoughts about why we defend our personal space bubbles.

We want to hear your stories of how your personal space has been violated ... and what you did about it!

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This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal and Josh Bloch.