Spontaneous face-to-face communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Spontaneous face-to-face communication - Essay Example It is also important to be able to reflect the degree of politeness in the process of communication. It usually takes more time to reflect the real essence of an individual in the communication process, because a spontaneous communication cannot reflect the real essence and the real inner world of an individual. Politeness as an integrative component of individuals’ communication between each other is often considered as means to â€Å"convey, interpret, maintain and alter social relationships† (Brown and Levinsion, p.5). Brown and Levinson (1987) are two scientists who studied the important role of politeness in the process of communication. They claimed that people are polite across cultures in order to facilitate the process of communication or to soften their desires or intentions. In other words, these scientists claimed that being polite is a threat-mitigating strategy used by individuals. â€Å"Face† in the process of communication The concept of â€Å"face† is the primary operating concept for these scientists that means the â€Å"positive social value a person effectively claims for himself† (Brown and Levinsion 1987, p.5). Any person may be afraid of losing his face in the process of communication. Nevertheless, the scientists underline that there are possible positive and negative faces that an individual may have. A positive face is more relevant to the majority of social actors. It implies that an individual is striving for high social esteem, social approval etc. A negative face implies that an individual wants to be autonomous, have his/her own will etc.