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Face Concerns (Self-Face / Other-Face / Mutual-Face)

Cross-culturalReliability: alphas 0.69–0.79 across three subscales3 sample items

About this scale

A 17-item measure of three face concerns in conflict situations: self-face (concern for one's own image), other-face (concern for the other's image), and mutual-face (concern for the relationship). Foundational measure in face-negotiation theory and cross-cultural conflict research.

Sample item(s)

“I was concerned with not looking weak in front of others. (self-face)”
“I was concerned with helping the other person to maintain his or her credibility. (other-face)”
“I was concerned with maintaining the relationship between us. (mutual-face)”

Reliability

Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.69–0.79 across three subscales. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.

Notes

High-context cultures show stronger other-face and mutual-face concerns.

Source & citation

Oetzel, J. G., & Ting-Toomey, S. (2003): Face concerns in interpersonal conflict: A cross-cultural empirical test of the face negotiation theory. Communication Research, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 599–624.

Oetzel & Ting-Toomey (2003): Face concerns. Communication Research, 30(6), 599–624.

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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