10/22/19; Week 6: Response to “Differences in Emotional Expressivity”

This week we are still learning about cultural differences in our TESOL Pedagogy Course and professor Iver’s lesson today was about differences in emotional expressivity.  People around the world usually express their emotions the same way when they are in a private environment.  However, there are some differences on how to express these same emotions in public.  Some cultures do not permit a lot of public showing of emotion.  They have low tolerant expressivity and are represented by people from Asian and Scandinavian countries.    Some cultures have high tolerant expressivity like Hispanic, Middle East and Southern Europe people.  Other cultures, North-Americans for instance, are somewhere between.  This emotional expressivity is usually passed down subconsciously, from generation to generation.  According to University of Wisconsin social psychologist Paula Niedenthal, people from countries with long-term migratory history will be more emotionally expressive than people from low historical heterogeneity countries. They will, for example, smile more broadly and more frequently than people who live in countries with no history of immigration.  It happens because immigrants must adapt to a situation in which basic communication is hindered by the lack of a commonly spoken language. One way to adapt is to encourage people to show their feelings freely, thereby making it easier to form social connections with strangers and build social trust.

When we are not aware of these cultural differences, we may judge or label others according to our paradigms.  For example, people with low tolerant expressivity may see the high ones as less civilized, less disciplined or even less intelligent or more dangerous while high tolerant expressivity people may see the low ones as boring, dull and holier.  When we are not able to understand how other cultures express their emotions, misunderstandings, prejudice, intolerance or even serious conflicts may arise. 

There is a story that the Persian Gulf War could have been avoided if American and Iraqi diplomats had known more about cultural norms regarding the public display of emotions.  In January 1991, James Baker, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Tariq Aziz, Iraq's foreign minister, met in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Seated next to Aziz was Saddam Hussein's half-brother, who periodically gave Hussein his assessment of the negotiations.  James Baker, a reserved man who rarely raised his voice or showed emotion, said very clearly and plainly that the United States and its partners would launch a counteroffensive if Iraq did not pull its troops out of Kuwait.  Unfortunately, the Iraqis paid too little attention to what Baker said and too much attention to how he said it. Hussein’s half-brother reported to Baghdad, "The Americans will not attack. They are weak. They are calm. They are not angry. They are only talking.”  Six days later, President Bush unleashed Operation Desert Storm.

Since teaching is touching lives, we will be more able to touch lives, if we know how our students express their emotions and how they express their emotions is deeply influenced by their culture.  This knowledge can really impact teacher-student relationship.  It can also impact teacher-parents relationship or even student-student relationship.  If we are too busy judging others, we won’t have time to love them or learn from them, or even teach them and touch their lives.    

     

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-conscious/201907/migration-patterns-predict-emotional-expressiveness  

Secretary of State James Baker

Source: U.S. Department of State