This intense need for gaining, and not losing, face has been explained in terms of cultural collectivism from which members are afraid of being excluded.5 Consequently, power and status within a group depend on respect and admiration accumu- lated through gaining ‘face’. The more ‘face’ a person has, the higher his credit rating – so much so that he can buy goods from local shops on credit and exert substantial influence in a group’s decision-making.
The second cornerstone, the hierarchical society, is the product of Thai feudalism or Sakdi-nar which was established during the 15th century and abolished by King Rama V less than 300 years ago. Sakdi-nar was a system of ranking each individual according to the size of allocated land or rice-field; therefore a person’s power and rank depended on his level of Sakdi-nar (Sakdi = power, ranking; nar = rice field). The patronage system existing within the vertical networks of relationship helped in maintaining the flexible and interdependent structure of Thai society. Several val- ues and norms for supporting this hierarchy includes ‘to know who’s high, who’s low’ (‘roojak thee soong, thee tum’), ‘to give respect or show honor’ (‘hai-kiad ’) to high-ranking superiors, while the high ranking Sakdi-na shows benevolence (‘parame’) and gives favor (‘boon-khun’) to those under their patronage. Thai society can be perceived as an affiliation society whose members depend upon each other and seek security in dependence and patronage.6 Therefore, a low ranking person’s behavior would be very polite and submissive in order to avoid any transgression which could be construed as showing disrespect and lead to ‘losing face’.
Asian countries generally stress the importance of abiding by the rules of politeness protocols, including the face-saving rituals of bowing (‘wai’ for Thais),