This essay concerns emotions and controversial arguments based on whether emotions are universal or a learned phenomenon. Most of the research in to cross cultural Psychology surround their attention on the biological aspect of emotions as being the primary source of the occurrence of emotions and has been the subject of numerous studies. However, culture is also known to affect and provoke emotional experiences. This essay will discuss the position of emotions from a Universalist view and from a cultural view. The following approach will focus on the universality of emotions.
One explanation that claims emotions are universal comes from Darwin (1872 in Smith & Kosslyn, 2009). Darwin adopted an evolutionary perspective of emotions by contending that emotions are universal which consist of biological components in which individuals are able to recognise emotional expressions of individual’s across different cultures. Definitions of emotions are many and varied. Emotions influence behaviour and can be positive and negative. They are also associated with physiological and cognitive changes and can influence behaviour (in Smith & Kossyln, 2009).
One famous pioneer in this area is Ekman (1973 in Shiraev & Levy, 2007, 2004) who classified six basic facial expressions as being universal and reflecting most emotional states. They are happy, sad, anger, disgust, surprised and fearful. Ekman (1973) proposed that the universality of emotions allows individuals to empathise with others and enables us to read other’s feelings therefore emotions must serve an adaptive purpose hence supporting the claim that they are universal (Darwin, 1972 in John, Ype, Poortinga, Marshall & Pierre 2002). Moreover, emotions are widely accepted to accompany...
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...is is the only explanation. Environmental factors must be taken into consideration in order to obtain a more accurate picture.
Cultural based explanations posit that emotions are acquired via socialisation and recognise that cultural beliefs play an important role since research has indicated cultural variations amongst individualistic (USA) and collectivists (Japan) cultures. Studies have also focused on recognition rates of emotions and in relation to age.
References
Shiraev, E., & Levy, D. (2007, 2004). Cross-Cultural Psychology (3th ed.) United States of America.
John, W. Berry, Ype H. Poortinga, Marshall, H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen (2002). Cross- Cultural Psychology: Research and applications (2nd ed.) United States of America, New York.
Smith, E. E. and Kosslyn, S. M. (2009). Cognitive psychology: Mind and brain. New Jersey: Pearson Education
Gleitman, H., Gross,, J., & Reisberg, D. (2011). Psychology. New York: W. W. Norton & Co..
Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, J. N. (2012). Psychology (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
An individuals culture is one of the most influential factors that will drive an individual’s responses to psychological assessment. Culture molds and shapes our values, social norms, behaviors and belief systems. Duran, Firehammer and Gonzalez (2008) recognize, “Culture is part of the soul. As human beings, we are all part of a culture and not separate from it” (p.288 ). The understanding of culture is complex and has to be extended to include how domestic and international culture vary in relation to similarities, variances and contrad...
Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2003). Psychology. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
As humans, emotions are an unavoidable occurrence. People get angry, sad, happy, surprised, etcetera. In some cases, it is harder
“Some emotional experience is an interpretation and not merely given by our physiological state” (Hutchison, 2015, p.127). Dan shows that his personality is biased against sadness, which could be caused by something that has happened in his earlier years. Hutchison (2015) states, “Dan interprets sadness as a way to regain energy and to reevaluate his needs, which also signals other to provide Dan with support” (p.129). However, with the cultural difference many did not know what Dan’s interpretation of sadness was because his fellow classmates have a different meaning of sadness. So, physiological theory shows within different cultures, each emotion are organized around many different affective
Wood, S. E., Wood, E. G., Denise , B., Wood, E., & Desmarais, S. (2008). The world of psychology. (5th ed.). Pearson Education Canada.
Magill, Frank Northen. Psychology Basics. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
emotions are, what comprises emotions and where they spring from. Most of the times we
Jones, J. M. (2010, May). What Do You Know about Cultural Styles? National Association of School Psychologists, 38(7), p. 1.
Emotions play a significant part in our daily lives, especially to our overall wellbeing whenever we share these experiences with other people. The ability to express and interpret emotions is an important skill that everyone can improve on that would greatly benefit their interpersonal communication. Our expressions accompany our emotions; they serve as windows that allow other people to know what we are feeling inside. There are several factors that influence how we communicate our feelings.
Emotions are defined as "stereotypic patterns of the body, which are triggered by the central nervous system in response to distinct external environmental situations or to the recollection of memories related to such situations." (2) In other words, this means the emotions are the way the nervous system reacts to different situations one might find themselves in. In order to survive, emotional responses must be present. (2) "Whenever an emotion is triggered, a network of brain regions (traditionally referred to as the limbic system) generates a pattern of stereotypic outputs, which ultimately induce a biological response of the body." (2) These stereotypic outputs are what humans call emotions. They are predictable responses to certain situations, for instance when a person is in a sad situation, they will cry and feel depressed or if a person is in a happy situation, they will laugh and smile. These responses are because "specific circuits of the emotional motor system have evolved to both generate this stereotypic emotional facial response, as well as instantaneously recognize it when it occurs in somebody else." (2) This holds true for people in love, when you see someone in love you can tell because their face tells all.
However, in relation to human psychology, culture is part of humans’ everyday life. Matsumoto (2002) said that 'culture played as basic and important a role in understanding and contributing to human beh...
It is a well-known fact that different factors affect on human behavior as well as various aspects of people’s life. Among them the emotions detect a powerful force on humans. Strong emotions may cause people to take actions they might not perform as usual, or obviate situations that they generally enjoy. Psychologists, researchers, and philosophers have proposed a set of different theories that explain how and why people experience the emotions. I have chosen two theories of emotion that I am interested in such as: the James-Lange Theory of Emotion and the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion. This paper describes those theories by comparing and contrasting them;
Culture can also shape individuals’ development of self, which also influence their behaviors. According to Smith (2014) an individual from Western cultures tend to develop independent self-construal which he or she tends to “strive for self-expression, uniqueness and self-actualization, acting autonomously based on his/her own thoughts and feelings, and pursuing his/her own goals” (p. 160). In contrast, an individual from East Asia tends to acquire interdependent self-construal where he or she tends to view “the self as closely connected to the social context” which he or she strive “to fit in and maintain harmony with relevant others, basing their actions and expectations and social norms” (Smith, 2014, p. 160). The different types of self-construal give rise