Goffman, Erving.
(1967/1999). On Face-Work: An Analysis of Ritual Elements in Social Interaction
Goffman's
article about face-work examines the ceremonial gestures that people use when
interacting face to face. Goffman argues that in situations where interpersonal
communication takes place face-to-face, human beings function as actors in a
play, in an attempt to preserve their image in the eyes of the "audience"
around them.
For Goffman a person's social world is made up of countless social encounters (see also
Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life). These require him to
take a certain "line": that is, a pattern of verbal or non-verbal
gestures by which he expresses his view of any given situation, and through
which he expresses his appreciation towards those around him and towards
himself. The term "face" (or mask for that matter) refers to the way
a person conducts himself according to the "line" he assumes the
environment believes he has taken. For example: a person presents his
profession, or religion, in a good way (his "line") by presenting his
self (his "face") in a good way.
The person
responds emotionally in an immediate way to every social encounter. His
feelings become part of the mask he has formed for himself. If the events shape
his "face" better than he imagined he would probably feel good, and
vice versa. In fact, it is the mask that shapes a person's emotional world. The
rules in each social group and the definition of the situation, are what
dictate how much emotion the person will experience towards his own mask, and
how much emotion he will choose to share with his environment in order to
preserve the image that the mask creates.
Sometimes, a
person may find himself in a situation where he uses a "wrong face",
i.e. ones that do not fit with the "line" dictated to him by his
environment. This may happen when he is caught without having prepared such a
"line" in advance, and therefore has not formed for himself a mask
worthy of the given situation. When a person is in the "right face"
for the given situation, he feels self-confident. This is because he feels he
is taking exactly the "line" that the environment expects him to be
on.
The
combination of self-respect and consideration for others that the person adopts
in social encounters obliges him to take an approach that will preserve both
his mask and the masks of those around him. That is, in social interaction all
those present should preserve both their personal image and that of their
friends. This reciprocity is the basis for all interpersonal communication,
especially in face-to-face speech.
It should be
understood that wearing the mask is not a "natural" state of man, but
a state that can be called a "working state". This is because the
norm of social gatherings is not based on the mutual acceptance of each person
as a person, but on a temporary situation, which requires the maintenance of
clear rules that will allow for the proper conduct of society. Maintaining the
mask is not the essence of social interaction. It is only the tool that man
uses in order to conduct himself in the best way. In parallel, it can be said
that learning how to wear a mask is actually learning the "rules of
motion" of social interaction.
go to part 2 of the summary on the forms of face work
see also Stigma by Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy theory explained
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