Face as a sociological term The term face has been established in the late 1960s by the American sociologist Erving Goffman. It is defined by Goffman as an image of the self which depends on both the rules and values of a particular society and the situation the social interaction is embedded in..
Furthermore, what is face work in sociology?
facework (usually uncountable, plural faceworks) The material of the outside or front side, as of a wall or building. (sociology, psychology) The communicative strategies involved in upholding face, or social prestige. (mining) work done at the face, such as the coalface.
Beside above, what is saving face in sociology? It's been part of English vernacular since the 19th century. The concept is a core social value in Asian cultures, among others. The meaning has remained stable across time. Saving Face signifies a desire—or defines a strategy—to avoid humiliation or embarrassment, to maintain dignity or preserve reputation.
Subsequently, one may also ask, what is meant by the concept of face?
Face is an image of self, delineated in terms of approved social attributes. Face is the respectability and/or deference which a person can claim for himself or herself from others. "Face" means "sociodynamic valuation", a lexical hyponym of words meaning "prestige; dignity; honor; respect; status".
What is losing face in Chinese culture?
Losing face in Chinese culture is about more than being embarrassed. In Chinese culture, you spend your entire life trying to build your social prestige and reputation, while also trying to avoid causing anyone else to lose theirs.
Related Question Answers
Why is Facework important?
Effective facework encourages mutual respect, attention, and pleasant interaction, and is one of the most important dynamics in fostering a solid sense of self and positive relationships with others.What is image of face called?
It's called pareidolia—and it causes people to see patterns such as faces and images in everyday objects.What is an example of impression management?
Impression management is a conscious or subconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. An example of impression management theory in play is in sports such as soccer.What is a concept in sociology?
A sociological concept is a mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form. An example of a mental construct is the idea of class, or the distinguishing of two groups based on their income, culture, power, or some other defining characteristic(s).What is mianzi?
The English expression "to save face" comes from the Chinese word for face (?? miànzi), which describes one's reputation or dignity in social contexts. Mianzi is, in fact, something that is given or lent to someone rather than self-presumptive, marking a significant difference with the Western view of social status.What is Face Threat?
Definition. A face-threatening act (FTA) is an act which challenges the face wants of an interlocutor. According to Brown and Levinson (1987 [1978]), face-threatening acts may threaten either the speaker's face or the hearer's face, and they may threaten either positive face or negative face.What is face culture?
The concept of face (mianzi) in Chinese culture is a complex one. It can perhaps be most closely defined as “dignity” or “prestige”, but no translation can aptly cover all its fine nuances. For the Chinese, causing someone to lose face on purpose can make an enemy for life and is at the root of many conflicts.What is a face in math?
In any geometric solid that is composed of flat surfaces, each flat surface is called a face. The line where two faces meet is called an edge. For example, the cube above has six faces, each of which is a square.What is face in English?
Face. An important concept in the linguistic study of interaction is that of 'face'. The study of face — or 'facework' — is related to our everyday concept of respect and politeness, familiar from expressions such as 'to save face' or 'to suffer a loss of face'.What is positive face?
Social interaction is a process combining line and face, or face work. Brown and Levinson use the concept of face to explain politeness. Positive face is the desire to be liked, appreciated, approved, etc. Negative face is the desire not to be imposed upon, intruded, or otherwise put upon.What is guanxi and why is it important?
Guanxi is important at work and business because institutions are not as well developed in China at the moment so they have to rely on relationships. They can trust Guanxi is ?? which is relationship in Chinese. They can trust it more than the institutions and the laws.What is face work?
"On-Face Work" (338-343). When a line and internal image of one's self are harmonious, one's said to “have,” “be in,” or “maintain” one's face (Goffman 1955, 339). Feelings of security and contentedness result from feeling as though one is in face.What is Chinese face?
The Chinese concept of “face” (aka ?? or miànzi) refers to a cultural understanding of respect, honor and social standing. Actions or words that are disrespectful may cause somebody to “lose face” while gifts, awards and other respect-giving actions may “give face”.What are face needs?
Face needs are universal and are generally of two major types, positive face and negative face (Brown & Levinson, 1987). Positive face needs refer to our needs to be respected, honored, included, approved, liked, and considered competent and trustworthy.What is face in pragmatics?
Positive face refers to one's self-esteem, while negative face refers to one's freedom to act. These two aspects of face are the basic wants in any social interaction; during any social interaction, cooperation is needed amongst the participants to maintain each other's face.What is face and where does it come from what is saving face?
What's the origin of the phrase 'Lose face - Save face'? 'Lose face' began life in English as a translation of the Chinese phrase 'tiu lien'. That phrase may also be expressed in English as 'to suffer public disgrace', that is, to be unable to show one's face in public. 'Save face' comes later.What does losing face mean?
lose-face. Verb. (third-person singular simple present loses face, present participle losing face, simple past and past participle lost face) (idiomatic) To lose the respect of others; to be humiliated or experience public disgrace.What is face saving behavior?
face saving. an act in which one attempts to uphold one's dignity, as by redressing a social blunder or compensating for a poor impression one has made. Face-saving behavior is an aspect of impression management. See also facework.What is face saving communication?
Face Saving. Face Saving and Face Threatening Communication. Our communication with others can support their identity (the face the persons wants to present). This behavior is known as face support or face saving. Our communication can also attack someone's identiy or threaten their face (face threatening behavior). 
