Face Negotiation Theory Overview

Study Notes

Face Negotiation Theory Overview

Developed by Stella Ting-Toomey in 1988 to analyze cultural conflict management.
Aims to explain how different cultures approach conflict resolution.

Key Concepts

Face: Represents the public image people project.
Facework: Actions aimed at managing personal and others' face concerns.
Culture: Collective beliefs that differentiate social groups; not static, includes individualistic and collectivistic perspectives.
Conflict: Perceived incompatibility of values or expectations between parties, impacting social relationships.

Face Concerns and Needs

Face Concern: Interest in maintaining one's own face or that of others.
Face Need: Desire for connection or separation from others, divided into positive and negative needs.
Positive Face: Need to be liked and admired.
Negative Face: Need for autonomy and independence.

Types of Facework

Tact Facework: Respects others' autonomy, minimizing restrictions on freedom.
Solidarity Facework: Accepts others as part of an in-group, using informal language for rapport.
Approbation Facework: Focuses on minimizing blame while maximizing praise.

Cultural Contexts

Collectivistic Cultures: Prioritize group needs (e.g., China, Japan); emphasis on mutual face and positive face concerns.
Individualistic Cultures: Focus on personal needs (e.g., US, Canada); emphasis on self face and negative face concerns.

Face Threats and Responses

Face-Threatening Acts: Acts that jeopardize self-image; require face maintenance responses: face-saving actions or face restoration.
Face Saving Actions: Strategies to avoid embarrassment.
Face Restoration: Efforts to correct self-image, such as offering excuses.

Conflict Management Styles

Avoiding: Low concern for self/others; withdrawing from conflict.
Obliging: Low concern for self, high for others; accommodating.
Compromising: Middle-ground approach; mutual concessions.
Dominating: High concern for self, low for others; authoritative decision-making.
Integrating: High concern for both parties; collaborative problem-solving.

Cultural Influences on Conflict Management

Collectivistic cultures demonstrate greater face concerns compared to individualistic cultures, affecting preferred conflict styles.

Evaluation of Face Negotiation Theory

Pros: Heuristic utility, clear scope, logical consistency.
Cons: Questions of validity; may oversimplify complex interactions.

Communication Definition by FNT

Defines communication as correspondence shaped by cultural contexts and face management dynamics.

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

Focuses on choice and social context; recognizes knowledge uncertainty and values a humanistic approach while maintaining a balance with more objective perspectives.

Description

Explore the Face Negotiation Theory developed by Stella Ting-Toomey, which analyzes how cultural differences affect conflict management. This quiz covers key concepts like face, facework, and the dynamics of positive and negative face in social interactions. Test your understanding of how cultures impact the approach to conflict resolution.