The Longitudinal Relationship between Different Face Consciousness and Depression: The Mediating Role of Perfectionism and the Moderating Role of Collectivism

Zhou Jingkun; Luo Junlong; Cui Liying; Liuweina

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250511

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5) : 1151-1161. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250511

Social, Personality & Organizational Psychology

The Longitudinal Relationship between Different Face Consciousness and Depression: The Mediating Role of Perfectionism and the Moderating Role of Collectivism

Zhou Jingkun¹, Luo Junlong¹, Cui Liying¹, Liuweina²

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Abstract

In Chinese culture, the concept of “face” has always held significant importance. This reflects the question of how people interact with each other and thus generate their perception of "how others see me". Previous studies have found that the fear of losing face can positively predict individual depression, but there is a lack of research and comparison on the relationship between different face consciousness and depression. People both desire to "gain face" and are afraid of "losing face". So, what is the relationship between these two types of face consciousness and depression? Therefore, this paper analyzes the influence and possible mechanism of "gain" and "loss" face on depression in the context of Chinese culture, in order to clarify the psychological functions of different face consciousness.
To explore the influence of different face consciousness on depression and the mediating role of perfectionism and the moderating role of collectivism. This study conducted a one-year longitudinal study with college students from two universities in Shaanxi. Following the ethical approval of the institution, the face consciousness questionnaire, the collectivism questionnaire, the perfectionism questionnaire, and the depression questionnaire were distributed via the online homework platform during class meetings. The face consciousness questionnaires and collectivism questionnaires were collected at the T1 stage, and the perfectionism questionnaires and depression questionnaires were collected one year later. A total of 1,302 T1 and 1,102 T2 questionnaires were collected. Of these, 388 students who failed to complete the T2 test due to professional practice were excluded, and 914 students completed these tests at two waves.
First, we examined the direct prediction effect of different face consciousness on depression. The results showed that the desire to gain face did not predict depression significantly (β = .03, p > .05), while the fear of losing face positively predicted depression (β = .12, p < .01). Next, we add the mediation of positive and negative perfectionism. The results showed that the desire to gain face positively predicted positive perfectionism (β = .24, p < .001), but did not predict negative perfectionism (β = .07, p > .05). Fear of losing face significantly predicted negative perfectionism (β = .15, p < .01), but did not predict positive perfectionism (β = - .06, p > .05). Positive perfectionism negatively significantly predicted depression (β = - .16, p < .001), and negative perfectionism positively significantly predicted depression (β = .61, p < .001). Bootstrap was used to sample 5,000 times to test the mediation effect. The results showed that positive perfectionism had a mediating effect between the desire to gain face and depression, and the mediating effect was -.04, 95%CI = [- .062, - .021]. Negative perfectionism had a mediating effect in the relation between the fear of losing face and depression, and the mediating effect was .09, 95% CI = [ .034, .146]. Positive perfectionism had no mediating effect between the consciousness of losing face and depression. Negative perfectionism had no mediating effect between the consciousness of the desire to gain face and depression. Finally, we examined the moderating effect of collectivism. Horizontal collectivism had a moderating effect on the consciousness of fear of losing face and negative perfectionism. When the tendency towards horizontal collectivism was low, the consciousness of fear of losing face positively predicts negative perfectionism (simple slope = .27, p < .001). When horizontal collectivism tendency was high, although the consciousness of fear of losing face still positively predicted negative perfectionism (simple slope = .10, p < .05), the positive prediction effect was significantly weakened. The results showed that, as horizontal collectivism tendency increases, the positive predictive effect of fear of losing face on negative perfectionism was weakened. While fear of losing face can increase depression in direct and indirect ways, a high level of horizontal collectivism can reduce the tendency of negative perfectionism and thus reduce the risk of depression in those who are afraid of losing face.
The findings show that the two types of face consciousness have different predictive effects on depression. First, although the desire to gain face cannot directly predict depression, it can indirectly reduce depression through the mediating effect of positive perfectionism. Second, although the fear of losing face can increase depression in direct and indirect ways, high horizontal collectivism can reduce the tendency of negative perfectionism and thus reduce the risk of depression in those who are afraid of losing face.

Key words

desire to gain face / fear of losing face / collectivism / positive perfectionism / negative perfectionism / depression

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Zhou Jingkun, Luo Junlong, Cui Liying, Liuweina. The Longitudinal Relationship between Different Face Consciousness and Depression: The Mediating Role of Perfectionism and the Moderating Role of Collectivism[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2025, 48(5): 1151-1161 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250511

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