ABSTRACT
This chapter reports on the origins of touch avoidance research, discusses the dimensionality and reliability of the Touch Avoidance Measure, examines evidence for its validity, and discusses the relationship between touch avoidance and other important variables. The construct of touch avoidance emerged at the confluence of two streams of research: the abundant literature on communication avoidance and the literature on the importance of tactile communication in human relationships from infants to the elderly. The touch avoidance measure consists of two reliable and valid dimensions: avoidance of same-sex touch and avoidance of opposite-sex touch. The fact that age is positively associated with opposite-sex touch avoidance but not same-sex touch avoidance also suggests a hormonal explanation. The available evidence from a series of studies suggests that touch avoidance is negatively but weakly related to self-esteem. The predisposition to avoid touch is probably a function of both biology and culture.
