The section on the “Feeling Rules” is very enlightening when it comes to various cultures and how they allow people to feel. On page 177 of the textbook it states, “the Semai of Malaysia think that being angry brings bad luck and they try to avoid anger. That may be one reason that not a single murder among Semais has ever been recorded!” These feeling rules are determined by the society in which the individuals live. I would like to read more research on this topic and see if the feeling rules have changed over the centuries in countries where multiple cultures have blended.
In the Western cultural I would agree with the textbook that our feeling rule is one of individuality. This allows people to express their individual style and pride. Americans are driven by competition in some form. This could be in school with grades, in sports, at work, or even who is accepted into which sorority or fraternity. We compete to be the best or to be chosen by a certain group. In wanting to compete we express our individuality of striving to be the best, or the most spirited, or the most athletic.
-Katrina
Feeling rules also interested me. Feeling rules tell us whether what we're feeling in certain situations is okay or not. An example the book gave was people from individualistic societies may value a pat on the back more than those that come from a society that stresses group membership. Feeling rules and social order are believed to be strongly related. Another example would be those parents that encourage children to control their feelings by deep acting, versus those who would be surface acting. Surface acting would be hiding this and “faking your way through life,” where as deep acting should control their feelings.
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