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Furthermore, one single action can have several results. It may enhance the face of one but lose face for others. For example, a high government official who is caught speeding by a police constable may lose his face when he is booked, even though he cites his status. The policeman may, in turn, enhance his own face by fulfilling his duties properly and by reasserting his overriding authority over the more highly regarded man in this event. In another case, however, the policeman may save the face or even enhance the face of the official by letting him go when he reveals his identity. The policeman may also save his future face when he comes into interaction with the official again. He may likely be given treatment accordant to, or even better than, his own status and role performance would provide for.
In the above example, it can also be seen that different actions can be taken in any social intercourse, producing diverging effects. How a person or a nation chooses from among these actions would depend on their decision on whether to maintain face as a means of social control in an event and in the future.
As has been discussed, people have the desire to act accordingly in order to maintain their places in prospective interactions, and to secure their purchasing power for honours, influence, and deference. When any threats to face come up against a person or a nation, actions would be taken to forestall them. On the other hand, there are some situations where face can be enhanced, and a person or a nation can make use of these situations to alter the amount of face in favour of their interest.
As a means of social control, face provides certain benefits to the incumbents. As such, a person or a nation often takes actions in favour of their own face. This is what Goffman puts into the term 'facework'. It is defined as 'the actions taken by a person to make whatever he is doing consistent with face. Facework serves to counteract "incidents" - that is, events whose effective symbolic implications threaten face' (Goffman, 1969: 9).
That is to say, even if an individual has committed something or has been placed in a situation that threatens his face, he may not be helpless about it. Besides, he may even do something to enhance his face if there stands an appropriate opportunity. Here comes the third group of actions.