Social Roles & Facework
Roles Roles are learned Roles are generalized guidelines for behavior Roles affect beliefs about self People play multiple roles Role conflict: when two or more roles make opposing demands Role rigidity: when a role takes over one’s identity
Facework
Face is the social identity that we want to present to others and maintain.
Face-threatening acts are instances in which a person’s face is damaged.
Facework is messages (said by ourselves or by others) that helps us maintain face. Offensive Facework Defensive Facework
Tactful blindness is a frequently used defensive strategy in which we ignore the face-threatening act.
What are social norms for facework? If you fall in front of Lisa… If Lisa falls in front of you… If you fall in front of a stranger…
People identify with the emotions of others, called emotional identification.
What are other examples of face-threatening acts?
How are roles linked to facework?
Social Comparison Theory says we compare ourselves to similar others to learn about ourselves.
We often engage in upward and downward comparison. Abilities Attitudes But we tend to pick someone similar to us.
Social Comparison Theory often leads to need for conformity.
Social Comparison Theory and Body Image What do you think research has shown for teenage girls’ self- esteem and satisfaction with their body?
Social Comparison Theory and Body Image As the body shape for women in the media has progressively become thinner, the correlation between thin body shape and perception of attractiveness has increased.” (Wiseman, 1990)
How might this same concept be applicable at interpersonal level?
What “role” pressures are there apart from social comparison?
People faced with important and ambiguous decisions will decide based on what similar individuals are doing. Applying to an organization similar students Deciding a job Family members Buying a car Brand name loyalty Political choices Parent opinions
When would social comparison theory not be true for the previously mentioned situations?
Looking Glass Self is the self that comes back to us from others about our abilities, actions, etc.
People find virtue in their partners only when they feel confident that their partners also see virtues in them. Low Self-Esteem High Self-Esteem Murray et al., 1998 Low self-esteem individuals reacted to self-doubt with heightened doubts about their partners' regard, which then tarnished impressions of their partners. In contrast, high self-esteem individuals reacted to self-doubts by becoming more convinced of their partners' continued acceptance, using their relationships as a resource for self-affirmation.
Take-Away Points Vocab: face, face threatening act, offensive and defense face, emotional identification, tactful blindness Face What is the general concept? How does this impact how we behave? How will roles influence our face? Applications of face/face-work to real life or a fictional example Social Comparison Theory How does it relate to conformity? What is upward and downward comparison? What types of things do we compare? How does the media play a role in how we view ourselves? Looking Glass Self If you’re doubting yourself, and your partner gives you a compliment, what will change how you react to it?