THE PERSONAL SPACE, OR BODY BUFFER ZONE, IS A SERIES OF CONCENTRIC GLOBES OF SPACE, EACH DEFINING A REGION FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF INTERACTIONS. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE BODY BUFFER ZONE MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO OPERATE AT ACCEPTABLE STRESS LEVELS AND AIDS IN THE CONTROL OF AGGRESSION. TO EXPLORE THE CONCEPT, INMATES WITH HISTORIES OF VIOLENCE WERE MATCHED BY AGE AND RACE WITH INMATES WITH HISTORIES OF NONVIOLENCE. THE SUBJECTS' SENSITIVITY TO INTRUSION OF THEIR PERSONAL SPACE WAS MEASURED BY SUBJECTIVE VERBAL RESPONSE AND BY GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE . VIOLENT INMATES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SENSITIVE TO APPROACH THAN WERE NONVIOLENT SUBJECTS. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WITH REGARD TO RELATIVE SENSITIVITY TO APPROACH FROM THE FRONT AND FROM BEHIND. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)