Cultural variations in emotion and effective emotional support processes: Documenting differences in the experience, expression, and management of emotional distress

A variety of research programs in the study of emotion have explored the ways in which people experience, display and cope with distressful emotions. Research in social support has examined factors related to how we respond to the distress of others. However, little research has attempted to provide an integrated analysis of emotional management that accounts for how emotional experiences, emotional displays, coping behaviors, and response behaviors interact and influence the social process of distress management. The research presented here examines the influence of culture and cultural values such as individualism and collectivism on the experience and enactment of social distress. Utilizing a theory of cultural rules for the management of distress, this research ties literature addressing both emotion and cultural values into an integrated theory. This project examines how culture influences (a) the way people conceptualize distress, (b) the strategies people employ for coping with distress, (c) the types of distressing situations that are seen as appropriate or inappropriate for the provision of social support, and (d) the characteristics of effective and sensitive responses to another\u27s distress. 100 Euro-Americans and 100 Chinese respondents took part in this survey-based study. Respondents embodied both culture-transcendent and culture specific rules of emotional management. Culture transcendent rules encouraged the expression of distressing emotions and the approach of troubling situations and feelings. At the same time, respondents also embodied emotional rules specific to their respective cultural groups. Chinese participants embodied emotional rules geared toward preserving social harmony among ingroup members, down-playing emotional displays, and encouraging the use of instrumental (i.e., problem-focused) coping and social support. Euro-American participants generally embodied emotional rules geared toward self expression, the pursuit of individual goals, and encouraging the use of affective (i.e., emotion-focused) coping and social support