it lasts. The use of titles can also be a reflection of a culture’stightnessandlooseness.In
the United States, as we have repeatedly pointed out, titles enjoy limited use, often
depending on the social context. However, in Germany, a tight culture, titles play an
extremely important role in social interaction.Face and Facework
Our final cultural value concerns the concept of face, which, according to Hu, was
identified and categorized in China as early as the fourth century BCE.^88 The term
“face”is commonly used as a metaphor to designate the self-image a person projects
to other people. In other words, your“face”is your public identity, how you are per-
ceived by others. And because face is how others see you, it is acquired, maintained,
and lost through social interactions, primarily communication. This process is referred
to as facework, which Domenici and Littlejohn define as“a set of coordinated prac-
tices in which communicators build, maintain, protect, or threaten personal dignity,
honor, and respect.”^89 Facework consists of those actions you engage in to acquire or
maintain face for yourself or give face to someone else.
In an effort to make a favorable impression on your prospective employer during a
job interview, you will try to“put on your best face.”You will probably wear your best
suit and arrive a few minutes before the scheduled time. During the interview you will
remember to sit erect, maintain eye contact, respond to questions with thoughtful
answers, use formal terms of address, and avoid slang. These efforts amount to self-
directed facework because you want to make a positive impression. Complimenting a
friend on new clothes, on landing a new position, or when accepted to graduate
school are examples of other-directed facework.Individualist cultures,
because they are
concerned primarily
with self-face, tend to
favor confrontational
approaches to resolve
problems and
misunderstandings.
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