ABSTRACT
In order to clarify the impact of the cultural factors on human emotions, cross-cultural psychologists have pursued two major theoretical models. The first contends that human emotions are universal, and that culture has a relatively limited impact. The second model represents an assumption about the cultural origin and cultural specificity of emotion. Emotions can be seen as similar or different because we often perceive, analyze, and think about them from different points of view. Moreover, any emotion may be culturally similar or cross-culturally different, depending on the level of generalization chosen for description. It is useful to understand emotion as a multifactorial process that generally includes the following components: preceding event, physiological response, assessment, expressive behavior, and change in some element of cognitive functioning. All human beings have the potential to experience the same basic emotions; however, our cultural differences and subsequent socialization practices encourage us to experience particular emotions and suppress others. Therefore, psychologists should gain knowledge about cultural norms, display rules, and specific and universal antecedents of various emotions and examine them within particular cultural contexts.
