Reading my negotiation textbook, I couldn’t help but think of the guests on Jerry Springer:
Often, it is the mere presence of an audience that can make “saving face” of paramount importance for the negotiator. When a person’s face is threatened in a negotiation, it can tip the balance of his or her behaviour away from cooperation toward competition, resulting in impasses and lose-lose outcomes.
Still, with episodes like “Daddy, will you marry me?” I guess lose-lose is inevitable.
