The basic forms of face work according to Erving Goffman (see
On Face-Work for background):
The
avoidance process
The simplest
way a person can avoid threats to the face he has designed for himself is to
avoid situations where such a potential threat exists. He can do this by
avoiding providing information that does not fit the "line" he is
taking. That is, he will try to change the subject. He may also suppress his
emotions, until he knows which line he is expected to take. These are
"defensive" maneuvers to preserve the face. Other types of maneuvers
are "conservative" maneuvers. Respect and politeness for example.
These are designed to preserve the face of the other in the social interaction
to avoid threatening the face of the person himself.
When a
person fails in the avoidance process, he or she may act as if nothing has
happened, or as if the injury is meaningless to him or her. Thus he deceives
himself and the environment that no significant harm has occurred. In mental
hospitals this is most evident when patients themselves treat repeated injuries
to their own face and those of their environment in equanimity, while their
critics react with despair. The inability to wear a mask properly in fact does
not allow a person to exist in a normative society.
The
repair process
When the
mask that the person builds for himself is damaged, he enters a process whose
essence is to repair the effect. This is expressed in statements such as
"sorry", or "definitely, I agree with what you said". The
repair process consists of four steps: a challenge - accepting responsibility
for the injury, a suggestion - offering to try to reduce the intensity of the
injury (“it was a joke, don’t take me seriously), acceptance - when the victim
receives the gesture, and thank you - the final step. These stages are part of
the rituals of interpersonal relationships in social interactions.
Earn
points - Aggressive use of face work
Another form
of ritual in the process of maintaining the face is expressed according to Goffman in what can be called "accumulating points". When a person
knows for example that when he behaves modestly people may praise him, he may
"fish compliments" in this way. This is how a person maneuvers the
environment in order to best preserve his face. Thus a person may also for
example manipulate others into feeling guilty about what they did or did not do
to him, through wearing a particular mask. It is actually a type of game where
each side tries to preserve its face in the best way according to the circumstances
by accumulating as many symbolic "points" as possible.
Collaboration
in face-work
Cooperation
can take place for example when some of those present at the social gathering
feel the danger threatening one of their faces. They may prevent the injury by
using implicit communication which means: "The line you are taking is not
appropriate… You are about to lose your mask - you need to be careful".
This may be done in implicit or indirect gestures, even in a non-verbal way.
The
ceremonial functions of the self
So far we
are talking about two planes of the self according to Goffman: the line - which
is the pattern of behavior that a person chooses at any given moment, and the
face - which are the way in which the pattern of behavior he adopts is
reflected in every social interaction according to the environment. When
separated, no significant damage is done to the face because these two
components overlap, ie, it must be located within a certain line - a ritual
known to all around and defined by the environment and the face is not damaged
if they do not risk belonging to one line or another. But, whenever a person connects
a line to a face - his self will have a role - a ceremonial role.
Face and
social relations
Much of the
activity that takes place in social gatherings can be interpreted by Goffmanas
an attempt on the part of all present to go through the event in peace. Greeting
hello, for example, provides an effective way to suppress hostility on the part
of those present, so that they can momentarily drop the barriers between them
and speak. Farewell greetings summarize the events in the meeting and their
nature reflects the way in which the next meeting is expected to take place. In
fact, blessings of peace and parting are an effective ceremonial way to avoid
direct injury to the face. This is because they "soften" the ground
before the interaction in the social encounter.
The
nature of ceremonial arrangements
In
conclusion, it can be said that in fact beneath the cultural differences,
people everywhere are in fact the same. In all societies, people must adapt to
the universal norms dictated by social encounters while wearing masks. The way
to do this is by performing repetitive ceremonial actions while keeping the
face in changing social situations. It is interesting to think that this
universal human nature, is in fact inhuman in nature. In fact, when a person
wears a mask, he is doing a mechanical action. It does not reveal its essence
as a person, but presents a mask that reflects moral rules and social norms. In
fact, according to Goffman, the moral rules that make a person human are a
product of the requirement to observe the rituals of social encounters.
see more by Goffman
Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy theory explained
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
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