Lesson 6 10/17/17 Differences in Emotional Expressivity

Emotional Expressivity  changes rather drastically from culture to culture. This ca vary greatly between regions of the world, countries, cities, and even from home to home. Each family has their own just as much as each country does.

I grew up in a moderately expressive family. My mom was always good at telling us when things were happening, or when we had issues. When someone was angry, you knew it. When we were sad, happy, or afraid, we always knew it. When my mom re-married, we had to learn the family dynamic of an entirely new extended family.

My step-father is a few years older than my mom, but his family is almost an entire generation older than he and my mom are. My step-father's sister is the same age as my mom's mom; that is how great the age difference is! This has allowed me to observe a drastic difference between how people from different generations express their emotions. My step-dad's family will talk to anyone about their issue besides the person they actually have an issue with. I have witnessed the same problems occurring every year with no resolve because their expression of emotions is relatively limited. However, when everyone is together, there is laughter and shouting and telling stories and enjoying each other's company.

I experienced almost the opposite while living in Latin America. People in Latin America are extremely passionate ans expressive. They will tell you exactly what they are feeling and thinking. This can sometimes lead to hurt feelings or the end of relationships. However, it also created a sense of trust and understanding between people.

Their are pros and cons to being extremely expressive or not very expressive. It is tricky to understand people on an individual basis without first understanding the culture that they are coming from. What may seem strange to you can be rather normal to someone else.