ABSTRACT
In our relationships with others, reason and emotion both play roles. How we see the relationships between the two depends on whether we have a controlled orientation toward emotions or an expressive orientation. Th e diff erence between the two orientations lies not in how strongly people feel about something but in cultural conventions related to revealing emotions. Members of control-oriented cultures see emotions as independent of reason and believe that emotions tend to get in the way of a rational, objective approach to a situation. Th ey also tend to believe they should control their emotions and keep them subdued. Members of expressive-oriented cultures see emotions as an integral part of who they are and how they think about an issue, and they show their feelings openly-laughing, smiling, grimacing, scowling and gesturing while communicating with others. Finally, they try to fi nd immediate outlets for their feelings.
