Tuesday, February 14, 2012

COMM 506: Honne vs. Tatemae

     Honne and tatemae are two important parts of a person's self-concept. Honne refers to a person's true feelings and desires. These feelings and desires are often hidden because they may not conform to the rest of society, and may be seen as odd or wrong. Tatemae refers to the opinions and behaviors a person displays in public. It is their front, their facade. It is what's expected by society and by those around him or her. It may or may not reflect their honne.
     The ideals of honne and tatemae are important in the field of public relations. It is important for advertisers, marketers, and people trying to get a message out to figure out which part of a person they are trying to influence: their honne, tatemae, or both. If someone is trying to influence a person's honne, they may try to use a message that will appeal to their core values and emotions, eliciting a deep response and making the person follow the message. Hopefully, the person will tell people close to them about the message, eliciting a response from them. If someone is trying to influence a persons tatamae, they will appeal to what society thinks is "in" at the moment, eliciting a response that will hopefully get people to agree with the message because everyone else will, or so they hope. If they are trying to appeal to both, they may go after emotions or core values in a wide sense, appealing to certain emotions that they think everyone will react to, instead of just targeting a certain response.

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