Politeness Theory and Conversational Refusals: Associations between Various Types of Face Threat and Perceived Competence

The present study investigates the association between threats to requesters' and refusers' face needs and perceptions of refusal message effectiveness and appropriateness. Results suggest that perceived refusal effectiveness is negatively associated with threat to a requester's negative face but positively associated with threat to a refuser's positive face. Perceived refusal appropriateness was associated with interactions of multiple face threats. Overall, results support that judgments of appropriateness are influenced by the combination of face threats present. Specifically, low levels of one type of face threat are associated with perceptions that increasing other face threats is inappropriate.