Attitudes that Annoy us at Work. An Approach to Impoliteness Strategies and Cultural Differences

Abstract

This paper, which forms part of the research for my doctoral dissertation, presents a new taxonomy of what I have named social characteristics of individuals. This is a new approach which reorganises the traditional concepts of face and social rights. Social characteristics are understood and emphasised differently by every culture. Thus, social characteristics will be dealt with by every cultural group, depending on and according to the cultural values of that group. On the other hand, these four social characteristics of individuals can be attacked or threatened by a series of impoliteness strategies. As an example, this article will analyse two of the most studied cultural dimensions: power and identity. To illustrate these ideas, I will present the data obtained from some questionnaires done by two different groups of respondents, a Spanish one and an American one. The different values that these two cultures have will reflect on their answers.

Keywords

• poder
• identidad
• diferencias culturales
• estrategias de descortesía
• características sociales