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Need for approval from others and face concerns as predictors of interpersonal conflict outcome in 29 cultural groups
The extent to which culture moderates the effects of need for approval from others on a person’s handling ofinterpersonal conflict was investigated. Students from 24 nations rated how they handled a recent interpersonalconflict, using measures derived from face-negotiation theory. Samples varied in the extent to which they were perceived ascharacterised by the cultural logics of dignity, honour, or face. It was hypothesised that the emphasis on harmony withinface cultures would reduce the relevance of need for approval from others to face-negotiation concerns. Respondentsrated their need for approval from others and how much they sought to preserve their own face and the face of the otherparty during the conflict. Need for approval was associated with concerns for both self-face and other-face. However, aspredicted, the association between need for approval from others and concern for self-face was weaker where face logicwas prevalent. Favourable conflict outcome was positively related to other-face and negatively related to self-face and toneed for approval from others, but there were no significant interactions related to prevailing cultural logics. The resultsillustrate how particular face-threatening factors can moderate the distinctive face-concerns earlier found to characteriseindividualistic and collectivistic cultural groups