Cultural Emotion Expressions

Emotions are defined as, "internal phenomena that can, but do not always, make themselves observable through expression and behavior." (Niedenthal, et al. pg 5) Different cultures have different ways of expressing their emotions. Some cultures tend to express their emotions freely, while others tend to hold their emotions back. (Niedenthal, et al. pg 306) This difference is very prominent in Eastern and Western cultures.

Eastern vs Western Cultures

Eastern and Western Cultures can be classified according to their geographic locations. "Cultures transcend national borders and require researchers to use meaningful dimensions of variability rather than physical boundaries." (Niedenthal, et al. pg 313) For the sake of this entry, Eastern cultures include those of Asia and Eastern Europe, and Western cultures include those of North America and Western Europe. Eastern cultures are said to be very collectivist, meaning they do things for the good of everyone else. "The needs, wishes, and desires of the collectivities in which individuals find themselves are emphasized and the notion of individuality is minimized or even absent from the cultural model." (Niedenthal, et al. pg 314) Where as Western cultures are seen as more individualistic, or "...ones in which important meanings concerning relationships, identity, power, and ambition converge to promote individual needs, wishes, and desires. In such cultures, and North America is assumed to be the prototype,...equality and the possibility of personal attainment are encouraged." (Niedenthal, et al. pg 314) These simple definitions provided by Neidenthal show the drastic differences between cultures of the East and the West.

Eastern cultures, and their emotional expressions, "have been largely left to speculation, and often labeled "mysterious," and "deviant"."(Miyahara) Miyahara,referencing a study conducted on Japanese interpersonal communication, goes onto explain that the Japanese "are low in self disclosure, both verbally and non-verbally...Most of these attributes are ascribed to the Japanese people's collectivistic orientations."(Miyahara) This study conducted shows how the Japanese people, members of the Eastern culture, have a relatively low expression of emotion. "Emotional moderation in general might be expected to be observed in collectivist cultures more than in individualistic cultures, since strong emotions and emotional expression could disrupt intra-group relations and smooth social functioning." (Niedenthal, et al. pgs 314-15) "In Japanese contexts, emotions are understood as between people." Usually when Japanese students are asked "where does emotion come from?" they answer "it comes from outside", automatically pointing to anything besides themselves. This shows that Japanese students think of emotion as an interaction between themselves and the environment around them.^[1]

References:

1. ^ Yukiko Uchida, Sarah S.M. Townsend, Hazel Rose Markus, Hilary B. Bergsieker. (October 27, 2008) Emotions as Within or Between People? Cultural Variation in Lay Theories of Emotion Expression and Inference

Western cultures tend to express their emotions more freely, although sometimes it not always acceptable. "A Finnish man once told one of us that Finns are in general suspicious of adults who do not control their expression of emotion, especially in public." (Niedenthal, et al. pg 306) This quote, taken from Niedenthal, shows that some cultures do not trust those who express their emotions freely. In another study comparing the relationships among American and Japanese people found, "People in individualistic cultures are motivated to achieve closer relationships with a selected few, and are willing to clearly express negative emotions towards others." (Takahashi, et al. pg 454) This shows that people living in individualistic cultures express their emotions, even the negative ones, towards others. This is completely opposite of the findings of a collectivistic culture. "In American contexts, emotions are understood as primarily within people." Usually when American students are asked "where does emotion come from?" they answer by saying "from inside me", automatically pointing at their bodies. This shows that American students think of emotion as a personal and independent experience.^[1]

References:

1. ^ Yukiko Uchida, Sarah S.M. Townsend, Hazel Rose Markus, Hilary B. Bergsieker. (October 27, 2008) Emotions as Within or Between People? Cultural Variation in Lay Theories of Emotion Expression and Inference

Theories of Cultural Emotion Expression

Somatic Theories of Emotions

Somatic theories of emotion deal with the bodily responses to emotions.. (Wikipedia Contributors, Emotions)

Cognitive Theories of Emotions

Cognitive theories of emotions deal with the perception or judgment of emotions, rather than the bodily responses. (Wikipedia Contributors, Emotions)

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Each type of theory deals with the different responses to an emotion, and which is more important, the bodily response, or the perception of the emotion. Both types of theories can be found on the Emotions page in greater detail.

Summary

Research has shown that the emotional expressions differ between Western and Eastern cultures. Eastern cultures are seen as more collectivistic, therefore they show less emotion in order to keep the well-being of the group intact. Members of Western cultures express their emotions in order to help themselves out, even if it involves negative emotions towards others. These two different types of cultures represent the exact opposites of each other, but both ways of emotional expression seem to work for their own cultures. But each culture has differences within itself. Just because Eastern cultures follow a collectivistic model, does not mean they do not express their emotions. It simply means they express their emotions less, or in a more private setting. This also holds true for Western cultures. Just because Western people usually follow individualistic cultures, does not mean that they will not sacrifice for the good of the whole group. These two different cultures embrace emotions differently in their own ways, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

See also

• Emotions
• Culture
• Individualism
• Collectivism
• Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Emotions and Culture

Sources

• Miyahara, Akira. Toward Theorizing Japanese Communication Competence from a Non-Western Perspective. American Communication Journal. Volume 3, Issue 3. [1].
• Niedenthal, Paula M., Silvia Krauth-Gruber, Francois Ric. (2006) Psychology of Emotion Interpersonal, Experimental, and Cognitive Approaches (pp. 5, 305-342) New York, NY: Psychology Press. [2]
• Takahashi, Keiko Naomi Ohara, Toni C. Antonucci, Hiroko Akiyama . Commonalities and differences in close relationships among the Americans and Japanese: A comparison by the individualism/collectivism concept. International Journal of Behavioral Development, Volume 26, Number 5 (September 1, 2002), pp. 453–465, [3]
• Wikipedia Contributors. Emotion. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.[4] Retrieved April 22, 2008.