Complex advice acceptance as a resource for managing asymmetries

Abstract

Hutchby (1995: 221) calls advice giving ‘an activity which assumes or establishes an asymmetry between the participants’. The problematic nature of such asymmetry has been convincingly demonstrated by conversation analysts, especially in contexts where advice is uninvited (e.g., Jeerson and Lee 1992). This study turns to a context where advice is expected, but due to competence concerns, asymmetry remains problematic. On the basis of a detailed analysis of 10 graduate peer tutoring sessions, I show how two complex advice acceptance methods can be used by the advice recipient to reconfigure the asymmetrical role relations into less asymmetrical ones: (i) accept with claims of comparable thinking and (ii) accept with accounts. The extended shape of these methods suggests that advice responses, like compliment responses (Pomerantz 1978), may be subject to two competing preferences: Preference for Acceptance and Preference for Autonomy. Finally, consultants may benefit from understanding the complexities involved in advice reception. Recognizing that something else is being accomplished during ‘problem-free’ moments such as acceptance may lead to a more symmetrical relationship, and ultimately, a more satisfying and productive event for both participants.