Face Work and Deference -1

August 27, 2007 Lecture 4 HSS 205

Face work and deference

Face work refers to one tries to comply the implied rules of social conduct especially within social organization where there is clear power or hierarchy structure; it is manifested in the intensive social interaction.

• It is important in complex social organization, where intensive face to face interaction with superiors and subordinates.
• It is important to maintain smooth social interaction for efficiency and rationality, as social lubricant.
• It is required understanding of normative order with shared social values

Face work is an image of self delineated in terms of approved social attributes, manifesting in social interaction and always involves an actor and a recipient.

Emotional component: three possible outcomes of an encounter:
1. Established expected face –few feeling about
2. Better than expected face –likely feeling good
3. Expected face not met—likely feeling hurt

“Face” is located in the flow of events of any particular encounter and is legitimate institutionalized line (acceptable norms)

What is different from “corporate culture”?

To give face is to arrange for another to take a better line that he might otherwise have been able to take.

What can go wrong? When a person finds himself to be in “wrong face” that involves emotional lost, feel ashamed or inferior.

Face saving is to try to preserve image of self or others, when self in negative situation, the effects to change, to save.
Save own face:
• because there is emotional attachment to image of self
• Presumed status of actors gives him power to exert over other participants

Save others face because:
• Actors’ emotional attachment to the image of others
• Actor’s feeling that co-participants have a moral right to this protection
• Actor’s wants to avoid the hostility that may be directed toward him if the others lose face

The corrective process

The interchange = sequence of face – saving practices
1. The challenge, when misconduct is called for attention
2. The offering, to give a chance to correct and r-establish order
3. The acceptance
4. The thanks

However, the challenging refuse to be heeded, there is a danger of further damage the relationship between the actor and recipient.

Deviations from corrective process
1. Challenger can accept this refusal, but costly because he loses face
2. Challenger can resort to violent retaliation
3. Challenger can withdraw from the understanding

All of them cause the damage to the relationship.

Aggressive use of face work refers to one that fully understands the social rules and conducts; he however uses it aggressively for his own advantage.

• When the threat of disruption is purposely introduced.
• Counting on others to perform face work
• Using face work as a contest, or a game

How does it work?

• An audience is necessary, like all the face work, must work on public to have its social effects
• Introduce favorable faces about self
• Mentions negative fact about others, in such way, that they cannot respond effectively to defend themselves

If the aggressive face work fails
If the others are able to successfully deflect, the instigator (aggressor) is disparaged, and must accept he is not superior; the instigator is made to look foolish and therefore, lose face.

(Lesson to learn: do all things with sincere heart and order)

Face work has dramatic consequence within complex social organization, because of the presence of power dimension, often hierarchy structure.

Hallmark of socialization is performance of face work and to help other perform their represents a person’s willingness to abide by the ground rules of social interaction.

Social relationship is established when a person has to trust others to maintain his image and face and the good conducts of others, the face work happens so often in the ordinary social interaction.

How do we behave in social situation?
• The importance of rules to guide behaviour
• Provides a source of regularity in human affair( as a background of operation, where the rules and norm are shared and understood)

Rules of conducts is a guide for action that is recommended because it is suitable or just, there is consequence of breaking a rule of conduct, leave feeling of uneasiness (inside), or negative social sanction, (outside).

There are two types of rules:
1. Obligation – directly affect individuals
2. Expectation- indirectly affect individuals

Two class of rules:
1. Symmetrical, often informal, and within the same rank, or status, with the same level of obligation and expectation.
2. Asymmetrical, often different status, like gender, social status, class etc, which often have different obligation, expectation because of different power and rank in hierarchy.

Ceremonial vs. Substance

Substance rules are significant in their own rights,

Ceremonial rules are guides conduct in secondary matters, conventionalized, learned.