Differences in Emotional Expressivity
Emotional expressivity is the extent as to how much a person expresses their inward emotions on an outward scale. This expressivity varies greatly on the different cultures and backgrounds of people. Even within cultures, there can be those who express their emotions differently.
The differing amount of emotional expression can also vary a great deal within the United States. It seems that even the West Coast and the East coast have varying amounts of expressivity. There are many ways to express your emotions through your words, nonverbals, and facial expressions. Simple gestures that can very clearly mean one thing within the United States can mean the complete opposite in other parts of the world.
An example of this would be, someone who is very passionate about their beliefs and wants to share them by speaking loudly and boldly in a conversation. This can be interpreted as rude or overbearing by some. Others may even think that this person thinks that what they believe is the only truth and they would be angry if someone were to say something contradictory. This passion shown in facial expressions and words can come off as a negative interaction, when really that was not this person's intention at all.
Another example would be a person who is very quiet and reserved. In the United States, it is normal to be more reserved around those you don't know and have no intention of getting to know. In other countries, it may seem rude to not introduce yourself and start a conversation.
Defining differences in cultural emotion expression is crucial in developing relationships and friendships. The more you learn about the differences in culture for different cultures and people, the more you will recognize that our differences are not a bad thing. They are what makes us who we are.
References:
Influence of Culture on Emotion
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/influence-of-culture-on-emotion/
I live in a bicultural city, and I can relate to being reserved and people misunderstanding it as being rude.
ReplyDeleteGod job Brianna! I think you are right, those characteristics make us who we are an that's ok! This is especially important in the TESOL classroom.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post and your opinions on the topic. I completely agree that to have a healthy and great relationship we need to define our cultural differences in emotion.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Aranza
Great post, I really love it! Thanks for sharing, As a teacher it is very important that you teach your students to manage their own emotions like control anger, know about fear, accept mistakes, have empathy, have good self-esteem.
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