Facework

The concept of facework refers to how interactants communicate to present their own identities (faces) and respond to others’ identities in social situations. Facework is important to impression management because it directs attention to the interdependence and ritual that underlie interactants’ social construction, acceptance, and rejection of selves (faces) in particular contexts. Facework was introduced by Erving Goffman, a sociologist whose approach is often referred to as “dramaturgical analysis” because he invoked a theatrical metaphor and its associated jargon to describe human interaction. This entry first explains the nature of performance and the concept of facework and its functions. It then describes the implications for the study of reputation.

Several key concepts provide the foundation for the facework concept. Goffman’s first major work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), proposed a framework for conceptualizing interactions as theatrical performances where actors enact scripts in public performances to create the desired effects on audiences. Parallels between theatrical performances and human interaction include attention to actors (characters and their roles), verbal and nonverbal actions (lines) that follow scripts designed to conform to expectations and to create the desired impressions, stages (situations or contexts), and audiences, who evaluate the performances.

Though the concept of “face” in general, as in “saving face” or “losing face,” was not a new one and had been used previously to explain culture-based practices of image management, Goffman elaborated on the nature of face and facework in an essay contained in the book Interaction Ritual (1967). Consistent with common conceptualizations of face that depict it as a valued social asset, Goffman (1967) described face as “the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself by the line others assume he has taken during a particular contact. Face is an image of self delineated in terms of approved social attributes” (p. 5). Face denotes the self (identity) presented to others. However, society’s support for the claimed face may be withdrawn if the person fails to live up to that face. “Having face” means presenting an image that is valued by self and others, is internally consistent, can be maintained by taking lines consistent with the face, is supported by others, and demonstrates consistency within the flow of interaction. Thus, face mirrors one’s reputation within a social context.

Facework refers to the process of face negotiation in interaction. Verbal and nonverbal actions (lines) are enacted to present and protect one’s own face as well as the faces of others, demonstrate understanding of the situational demands, and interact in socially approved ways to preserve the expressive order. People are socialized to cooperate while following commonly accepted rules of social interaction in a particular culture and context and have an obligation to support and protect their own face as well as others’ faces. Facework[Page 310] requires a shared understanding of the rules of social interaction demanded by the context, perceptive skills for interpreting the faces others have chosen for themselves and expectations associated with one’s own and others’ faces, and mutual acceptance of the roles interactants have chosen for themselves. Interactants actively self-regulate and coordinate their actions to mitigate threats to face that would disrupt the interaction.

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