Subscribe
Cockblocking is a male-to-male behaviour. The term ‘cockblocking‘ is used to describe behaviour by men who physically intrude themselves between another man and a woman he is ‘bonding‘ with. Almost always, the woman is also of interest to the blocker, but she either is not interested in him, or at least less so. Cockblocking is most often used in places like bars, where the forum is very ‘open‘ and neither of the men in question are on ‘home turf‘. But it can also occur in more subtle forms in almost all social interactions.
Imagine a get together after work for happy hour at a local bar. Some of your group know each other from work. Others are friends of theirs, or friends of friends. A small group of five or six of you are standing around talking and drinking, and one of them is a very sexy girl who appears to frequently direct her conversation at you. She is standing across from you in the group, so it is easy for you to direct your conversation at each other without being obvious or excluding others. Although there is another guy on your left who is clearly also interested in her, you feel like you are establishing a good connection.
You begin to notice that the guy on your left has slowly shifted his body posture by turning his right shoulder towards the centre of the group, and towards the woman. His body now physically obscures your view of each other and makes conversations between the two of you more strained and unnatural. In spite of your desire to interact, the only way for you to re-engage involves physical actions that are a) very obvious, and b) probably require some form of confrontation with the blocker. Either one of these actions would ruin the ambiance and contaminate further ‘bonding‘. Furthermore, the only interactions that are interfered with are those between you and the sexy girl. All others in the group are unaffected by this manoeuvre, and it is unlikely any of them are even aware of it.
Gradually, the woman’s attention has become ‘involved‘ in other conversation in a perfectly normal way. On the few occasions when you catch her eye you are unable to discern the previous ‘connection‘. After even a few short minutes of interference, the connection has weakened and quickly withers without further nurturing. You have just been subtly, and quite successfully, cockblocked!
In this particular scenario, the interactions described, the physical movements by the blocker and his final ‘block‘ position are all quite subtle. Nothing overt has occurred that even looks deliberate, never mind cause for objecting. The blocker nevertheless knows quite well what he is doing. Actually the girl may or may not, become more responsive to him. But even if he elicits annoyance, that just ruins her mood and thereby her inclination and ability to further bond with anyone. In other scenarios, cockblocking is quite overt. At that point it changes functionally to become male ‘Rutting‘ behaviour.
In my observation, cockblocking behaviour does not typically enhance the blockers chances for ‘bonding‘ (although it might be possible). Thus the tactic is not as effective in getting the prize for the ‘blocker‘ as it is in wrecking chances for others. It is typically a disruptive, destructive tactic engaged in by macho men with few other tools, and a chip on their shoulder. The annoying thing is that it can be effective! So you had better learn to identify it.
Posted by Scott in Psychology, Sociology