Face negotiation theory

Imagine you're playing a game and someone says you did something wrong. You might feel a little embarrassed or upset, right? That feeling is like your 'face'!

In Face Negotiation Theory, 'face' means how you want others to see you. It's like your personal reputation or how you want to look good. When someone says or does something that makes you feel bad about yourself, it's like their words poked a hole in your 'face'.

This theory helps us understand how we try to fix our 'face' when it gets hurt.

A super smart lady named Stella Ting-Toomey came up with this idea a long, long time ago, in 1985! She noticed that people all over the world, no matter where they lived, cared about their 'face'. She saw that when people disagreed or argued, they often tried to protect their 'face' or make it feel better again.

She called this 'facework'. It's like putting a bandage on a scraped knee, but for your feelings and how others see you.

This theory is important because it helps us understand why people act the way they do when they disagree. Sometimes, when your 'face' feels threatened, you might get quiet, or you might get loud! Different people from different places do 'facework' in different ways.

It's like how some people might share their toys nicely, while others might ask for a turn. Understanding this helps us get along better with everyone, even if we don't always agree.

So, how does this 'facework' actually happen? When someone's 'face' is threatened, they try to save it. This can mean saying sorry, explaining yourself, or even just staying quiet to avoid a bigger problem.

Stella Ting-Toomey noticed that people from different cultures do this differently. For example, some cultures might be more direct and say exactly what they mean, while others might be more indirect to avoid hurting anyone's 'face'. It's all about managing those tricky disagreements!