Publication Date
8-1-1994
Degree Program
Department of Sociology
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Abstract
Rejection of men by women in singles bars was examined using Erving Goffman's concepts of performance and face to help distinguish variables that influence a woman's decision to help a man save face. Each woman (N=2 0) was observed rejecting a man, then was interviewed about the encounter through a semi-structured interview. The subjects were asked to rate the men's personalities and physical appearances and to describe the encounters with the men to provide an understanding of the subjects' impressions of the men's performances. Subjects' rejections of the men were categorized according to the degree to which the responses offered the men opportunities to save face. An unexpectedly high number of subjects offered rejections that helped the men save face, even when the men were persistent or received low performance ratings. Possible explanations for this unexpectedly high number are suggested.
Disciplines
Sociology
Recommended Citation
McCracken, Robert, "Face Saving at the Singles Bar: Effects of Women's Perspectives of Men and Their Performances on Women's Methods of Rejection" (1994). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 974.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/974