Facework in Mediation

Conflict is, for the most part, a rubber concept, being stretched and molded for the purposes at hand. Any attempt to intervene in a dispute is an intrusion into an already existing process of negotiation between the parties to the dispute. Mediators are interveners who, in addition to assessing the climate of the parties’ pre-mediation relationship, dealing with problems of perception, being on the lookout for imbalances of power, correcting false attributions, and shepherding the parties’ negotiations from differentiation to integration, must be prepared to anticipate, identify, and handle the below-surface image needs or perceptions of the parties. This aspect of mediation—the accommodation of the parties’ “face” needs—has been likened to negotiating in a minefield.

The concept of “face” has been defined in many different ways. It has been defined as an image of self, delineated in terms of approved social attributes; as something situationally defined in reference to the immediate respect a person expects others to show in each specific instance of social encounter. The word “face” has been used as a metaphor for our self-image vis-à-vis the public, and has been conceptualized as something that is diffusedly located in the flow of events. “Face” is a uniquely human phenomenon that has to do with the way we perceive how others perceive us. It is a projected image of one’s self in a relational situation and is an identity that is defined by the participants in the setting. “Face” is a universal behavior, and yet it varies by individual and situation.

“Face” plays at least two distinct roles in mediation. First, people bring their face needs and perceptions to the negotiating table, so those dynamics may play a role in the mediation process relative to how the parties interact at the mediation and may thus add a dimension to the conflict that the mediator must accommodate. Second, saving or restoring face may be one of the underlying interests—or even the primary interest—of one or more parties and may thus add a dimension to the substantive negotiations which the mediator must be able to identify and then incorporate into his or her handling of the mediation session and shepherding of the parties’ negotiations.

“Facework” is a subtle interpersonal encounter found in all societies, calculated to avoid personal embarrassment, or loss of poise, and to maintain for others an impression of self-respect. People in all cultures want to maintain face and at the same time maintain communication with, and respect for, others. Facework refers to the behaviors parties resort to in an effort to deal with the conflict between preserving or serving their own face needs and accommodating the face needs or interests of another party. Facework management during mediation is necessary so as to validate and maintain the delicate balance between or among the disputing parties with respect to their self-esteem and self-worth needs. In this regard, research has shown that beyond adding issues to the dispute, the need to save face can lead to inflexibility and future impasse in the conflict; that issues related to face are among the most troublesome kinds of problems that arise in a negotiation. The mere presence of the mediator may allow the parties to move from one position to another without losing face because they can attribute any movement to the third party. The challenge for the mediator is to promote a change of position between/among the parties without threatening their respective “faces.”

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Facework in Mediation