A Few Strings Attached: Face Management Strategies for Escalating Casual Sexual Relationships

Broaching the subject of transitioning from a casual relationship to something more serious can be challenging and rife with potential identity threats. These interactions may result in rejection, may threaten one’s independence, and may threaten one’s desire to appear undemanding. This study asked participants to reflect on a time where either they or their casual sexual partner wanted to escalate the relationship into a more committed, romantic relationship. Initiators’ face concern was negatively related to the success of the escalation request, while targets’ perceptions of face management strategies were positively associated with escalation success. Directness was positively associated with escalation request success for targets, but only when face concern was low.