Posture and Gesture: An Introduction to the Study of Physical Behaviour

Have you ever tried to observe how people shake hands or wave farewell, or how different politicians rise to their feet to speak in parliament? Have you ever wondered what could be learnt about an individual from a study of these “signature” movements and rituals?
Written by Warren Lamb in 1965, this book describes how these and all physical movement can be recorded using notation handed down by his mentor Rudolf Laban who died in 1958. Our movement is composed basically of Shape and Effort, the components of which we all use in different ways to phrase the Postures and Gestures which are unique to our behaviour, the most characteristic movement being where we merge Posture and Gesture. Notation taken in this way can then be analysed to reveal how an individual will approach all types of decision-making and how they will be inclined to interact with others.
Thousands of assessments have been made in this way over the years of people from every walk of life from manual workers to statesmen, but by far the greatest number have been of senior executives in large corporations.
This book was the first major statement by Warren Lamb of the theory he developed from his work with Laban; its basis remains the same today and is now known as Movement Pattern Analysis.