face presentation

face presentation

The Importance of Effective Face Presentation

1. Introduction

Erving Goffman’s “Stigma and Social Identity” and his article from “Relations in Public,” on face, builds a framework for understanding the importance of face presentation. Goffman defines human behavior as guided by an underlying grammar of motives, a system of symbolic rewards and punishments. Goffman considers identity in much the same way, as a sense of self and a social status through which he answers for this conduct, based on the values attributed to the person’s actual or potential attributes. However, as some self-attributes are valued while others are disvalued, and considering the fact that evaluations of others are subject to change, a man will be in control of many situations, and out of it, this becomes a dual character. The same man is thought of under two kinds of circumstances: in one, he knows that the others around him are aware of his discreditable attributes; in the other, he does not fully let on that he knows. Goffman refers to the awareness of the individual in the second case as “the virtual social identity,” as the man can fully realize this side of his character only when he is alone and freely act out various strategies to his ascendable self to ensure that he can maintain tact in situations where he might be outed.

In ancient Greece, the art of persuasion and utilizing rhetorical strategies were of ultimate importance. One such strategy, inviting the audience to sympathize with the speaker, was a pivotal aspect of a strong argument. To this end, the speaker’s presentation of self was important. A disfigured man was rejected by society. He was thought to have committed some atrocious crime in order to be so punished, and was further shunned as being one who might bring bad luck or disgrace to those with whom he associated. Without an accepting society, his chances to persuade were slight. Therefore, the man who did not present an acceptable image of painful or righteous suffering would not gain sympathy no matter how well he argued. This ancient race of rhetoricians recognized the importance of face presentation. This paper will present Goffman’s theory of face and its importance, and will particularly present costly and beneficial face-threatening acts and face-saving acts. Finally, it will analyze speeches made by two wounded veterans.

2. The Power of First Impressions

People are strongly informed by first impressions and quick to make judgments based on little information. Quite often, decisions regarding the trust or abilities of another person are made within the first few minutes of interaction, be it in a personal or professional situation. These snap judgments are known to be quite persistent and are difficult to undo, even in the presence of clear evidence to the contrary. Furthermore, it is common for people to alter their perception to better match their initial judgment, disregarding information that is contradictory. For these reasons, researchers believe that first impressions are a composite of mental representations formed in an individual’s memory. This suggests that altering a first impression is a difficult task, equivalent to rewriting a substantial piece of information in one’s memory. Because first impressions carry such weight, it is clear that the way in which a person presents their face to others will have great influence on the outcome of the interaction.

3. Techniques for Enhancing Face Presentation

Gestures are important in getting the right mood across to an audience. Socrates believed that one who was good with words could easily transfer his verbal abilities into abilities of influencing the mind with his hand. “If such is the case, then I would think it cannot be a bad thing for a lover of discourse to have found a piece of legislation providing that his sons, and those of his son’s sons down to the third generation, should carry on the craft of the word. He will be penurious in his care for any other possession.” (Phaedrus 271d) Socrates undoubtedly regarded aptitude in speaking and gesturing to be a valuable skill. This can be seen in the grand style and dramatic gestures Socrates uses throughout Plato’s Dialogues. He believes that great orators of his time can do no better than to emulate him and likely improve. He also states that the art of persuasive speaking is a gift from the gods and need not be taught, yet he spends much time trying to persuade others into believing this. Since it is agreed that a good speaker will be able to persuade his audience through logos, pathos, and ethos, this must also hold true for attempting to move men to action through other means of persuasive presentation.

When addressing an audience, it is important for politicians to appear sincere and trustworthy. Improving face presentation requires a realization that changes must be made to the mind and body. The first step in preparing to present oneself before important audiences is to memorize and rehearse speeches, gestures, and expressions. This way when the time comes, it will be possible to emit the correct mood and emotion without seeming unnatural. An important part of appearing sincere and genuine is to actually have those emotions. In Plato’s Phaedrus, he speaks of an orator who wishes to become a better speaker. The suggestion is that by improving his soul, the orator can become a better speaker. This is due to the fact that moods and emotions are directly caused by the condition of one’s soul. When an orator speaks with anger about some unjust act, it is because his soul perceives an image of some similar act reflecting the unjust act. This comparison causes the orator to become angry. So in order for the orator to emit the proper emotions, he must be able to convey the right messages to his soul and manipulate them. This is not an easy task and may require much self-questioning and self-dialoguing. But a good orator who is in touch with his emotions will be effective in showing the quality and intensity of these emotions and will send the correct message to his audience.

4. Overcoming Challenges in Face Presentation

Practice and feedback are essential for learning to perceive facial expressions. Developing the skills for face presentation use can help people with Asperger Syndrome. Computer-based learning of the Facial Affect Comprehension Test (Rosie Baron Cohen et al) has improved emotion recognition in people with Asperger Syndrome, and VJ (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test) has demonstrated positive effects with adolescents. Animated computer faces are now being developed to teach facial expression recognition and understanding. Recording and feedback of naturalistic social interactions has been successful in improving a range of prosocial behavior with people with intellectual disabilities, and some studies have used a similar technique with people with Asperger Syndrome to improve nonverbal communication and interpreting of other people’s behavior. This has the potential to provide clients with autism an effective way to practice and receive feedback on their interpretation of facial expression. Barriers to generalization indicate the importance of exercises transferring to the real world in a familiar setting, situation, or person, and maintenance suggests enduring effects. These concepts are important to face presentation use and recognizing facial expression for people with Asperger Syndrome. A range of compensatory strategies and prompts have improved generalization and maintenance of other cognitive-behavioral interventions with this client group. It is likely these can be transferred to face presentation exercises. Simulation techniques have also shown to improve recognition of fear in people with intellectual disabilities using trainers, actors, modeling, and rehearsal in real-life situations, and these techniques may be applicable for face presentation in people with Asperger Syndrome. Of course, it is important that improvements in recognition of fear, or any other emotion, in face presentation transfer to a real-world situation, and further research is required to ensure this happens.

5. Conclusion

A relevant example is that of a high self-monitoring male who is looking to conduct a romantic advance on a female colleague. At a certain setting, he asks the girl if she would like to see a quiet and romantic comedy, intending that this may set the mood for a further advance. The man has incurred a rebuff which was not vocal in nature, and may be validated by the look on the girl’s face which showed a change in mood and possible reservation. Comparing this to a more successful attempt at a later time at which the mood was different, LaBar and his mates could use the information from the woman’s facial expressions to discern the success of their previous mission and use it to plan future missions.

High self-monitors are those people who are gifted in reading the underlying mood of a setting and acting in a manner which will be consistent with this mood. This will allow the self-monitor to wear a mask if the mood of the setting dictates that it would be desirable to do so, or to take off a mask if it will not fit the mood of the situation. The information expressed on the face is vital to these people, for it will provide clues to how a mood is set and how a mood may be changed. High self-monitors are adept in using this information to affect mood and will frequently use it to further their own ends.

The face is the most expressive part of the body, and has both universal and culture-specific expressions. We learn from childhood to control our facial expressions. This learned pattern of facial control is a very important part of the self, for it is the chief way we show what we are feeling and it is the part of ourselves that we give most opportunity to others to validate. This is illustrated by a passage from Erving Goffman in the presentation of self in everyday life, which says, “In a poignant scene well known to shrinks, a small child must sit before a table on which his parents have spread out a number of pencils and paper and thus prepare himself to reproduce his own face.” Statements from past research relating to face and its importance are now illustrated to show how the information may be used in real-life situations.

In social interaction, presenting the self is an issue that people take seriously. Everyone wants to create the right impression; the person usually desires to be seen as likable and competent. To achieve this, he will be attentive to how others see him and try to come across in a way that is consistent with the desired impression. A great deal of information from the social setting can be gleaned from an individual’s face. The look, the expressions, the way an individual manipulates his facial appearance to create a favorable impression all provide vital clues to the person’s intentions.