ABSTRACT
The expressivist model of emotion assumes that painful feelings are physical sensations within the individual, which can be relieved to some extent by sharing them with others. But this process is more interpersonal than this simple account suggests, for my expressions feed into how you experience your feelings. To express my feelings in a group that accepts my form of expression is to legitimate that form of expression for other members of the group. To talk about my feelings in a group involves putting those feelings into words, and if the group accepts the validity of my words then this is to teach other members of the group that their feelings too may accurately be described by those kinds of words. Having a feeling is not separate from the label I give it; the labels I use to tell you about my feelings add to your stock of labels, and hence may modify
how you experience your own feelings in future. Groups that encourage the expression of feelings inevitably help to define for members what is appropriate feeling.
