GETTING OUT OF HOT-WATER - FACEWORK IN SOCIAL PREDICAMENTS

Participants wrote accounts to victims of social predicaments. Results showed that autonomous perpetrators offered more mitigation, used mor e complexity in accounts, and used fewer lies, especially to acquainta nces. High blame was associated with less mitigating and complex accou nts and greater deception; this occurred despite perpetrators' underst anding of probable relationship harm. Women were more concerned with r epairing others' face damage, at least in part to preserve relationshi ps; their self-esteem also was more harmed by lack of forgiveness, esp ecially from friends. Perpetrators gave longer, more mitigating and co mplex, accounts to friends and more mitigating accounts to high-status victims. Participants who used aggravating elements expected more pos itive relationships. Results are discussed in terms of competing deman ds for facework.