Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M1453

Politeness Theory / Face

Politeness Theory / Face
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Everyone has positive face (desire to be liked/approved) and negative face (desire not to be imposed upon/freedom). Politeness strategies are used to mitigate face-threatening acts (FTAs).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Emotional intelligence formula: When making requests (threatening negative face), use "Could you please..." (buffer). When criticizing (threatening positive face), use "This part could perhaps be better..." (buffer).

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Anchor fast decisions

Everyone maintains positive face (being approved) and negative face (freedom of action); speech acts can threaten the other's face (FTA). Politeness strategies reduce the threat through mitigation and compensation to maintain relationships.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politeness_theoryZH · Explicit
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