Week 6 2/8/2021 Differences in Emotional Expressivity

     I always thought that differences in emotional expressivity were more of a difference in personality than a culture difference.  Even in my own family we express our emotions very differently.  I never looked at this idea of it being a culture difference.  Listening to Brother Iver's lecture on these expressions in emotions being different to culture, I can see that that can certainly make a difference.  

    My husband and I have 2 kids.  In public, we are viewed as a very calm family, very relaxed and low emotional expressivity.  However, when we are at home, things are quite different.  My husband and one son are still all those things.  They are low key, down to earth, and calm.  Our other son and I are much more intense at home.  We are feisty, we show our emotions, and we are not quiet about it.  Because of this, I have felt that emotional expressivity has to do with our personalities.  

    Learning more about different cultures has taught me how these differences relate to culture.  After high school I went to beauty school in Mesa, AZ where I grew up.  I had a teacher that was from New York.  She was in charge of all the new students coming to beauty school.  We were in a separate building from all the students who were already working on clients out on the floor. I remember this teacher would rip into the other students when they did something wrong or would yell at them for coming into our building, or things like this.  I was confused because she was very protective of us and kind, but whenever someone else was around, she seemed so mean to me.  I learned that it was just her culture.  She had expectations of the students and wanted them to succeed.  She wasn't mean, it was just how she was raised.  

    Just like we have been discussion all semester, people are different.  When we take the time to get to know people, we are a lot more understanding of our differences.  This may be in personality, culture, or even just a person having a bad day.  As a future TESOL teacher, I can use what I have learned to understand that my students are all different and that some of the differences can be culture differences.  I can learn about different cultures including how they express themselves emotionally to avoid misunderstandings.