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Changing emotions: Bob, me, and other immigrants

Batja Mesquita University of Leuven March 13 th , 2010. Changing emotions: Bob, me, and other immigrants. Photography: Michael Zajonc.

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Changing emotions: Bob, me, and other immigrants

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  1. BatjaMesquita University of Leuven March 13th, 2010 Changing emotions: Bob, me, and other immigrants

  2. Photography: Michael Zajonc

  3. “The authors of this textbook know a man who is Polish, grew to adolescence in Poland, but has already lived in the United States for more than 50 years. Quite frequently, the man admits, “I have lived here for many years, but I am still not completely comfortable with Americans’ emotions. They smile all the time, and say that they are ‘happy’“ (Niedenthal, Krauth-Gruber, & Ric, 2007)

  4. A new generation of Zajonc immigrants

  5. “Conformity may require from [the stranger] a rather threatening reorganization of the deeper layers of his superego (…) The reason for this is that the stranger’s superego was molded in an environment that is not the one that now requires conformity from him.”(Zajonc, 1952, p. 206/7)

  6. Given the need to conform, attitudinal aggression of the stranger is a function of his difficulty in conformity • Attitudinal aggression as a result of frustration in conformity will be greater for strangers with long residence than for those with short residence

  7. Aggressive Attitudes

  8. Cultural Differences in Emotion Patterns • Emotions that are consistent with the cultural meanings and practices are promoted, while emotions that are inconsistent are discouraged (Mesquita, 2003; Mesquita & Leu, 2007)

  9. Different classes of emotions (Kitayama, Mesquita, & Karasawa, 2006)

  10. Predictions • Disengaged emotions will be relatively more frequent in American culture • Engaged emotions will be relatively more frequent in Japanese culture

  11. Negative emotions Positive Emotions A A J J (Kitayama, Mesquita, & Karasawa, JPSP, 2006)

  12. Values & Emotions Please think about a recent occasion in which you feltbad about your relationships with others(for example. indebted. ashamed. guilty. sad or sorry for another. afraid of troubling another. awkward). Please describe the situation briefly. Provide as much detail as needed for somebody to understand why you felt that way in this situation. Engagement = Disengaged Engaged Valence = Good Bad (DeLeersnyder, Mesquita, & Kim, under review)

  13. Values and Emotions EmotionScales • Positivedisengagedα = .74 (3 items) • Positiveengagedα = .86 (5 items) • Negativedisengagedα = .81 (4 items) • Negativeengagedα = .76 (4 items) (DeLeersnyder & Mesquita, in preparation)

  14. growth Values Person focused Other focused protection

  15. growth Values Other focused Person focused protection

  16. Value items Belgians high on • Self-direction • Independence, setting one’s own goals • Benevolence: • Helping others, loyalty Belgians less high on • Achievement/power: • Taking the lead, Succeeding, Ambition • Conformity/Tradition: • Tradition, belief/religion, Politeness, Respect

  17. People use the most highly endorsed cultural values to evaluate an emotional situation

  18. growth Values Person focused Other focused disengaged engaged protection

  19. Odds-ratiosfor all values

  20. growth Values Person focused Other focused protection

  21. Emotion & Values • People’sfeelings are related to the valuesthat are activated in the situation. • Culturally central values are more likely to be activated than peripheral values • People’s emotions reflect their cultural affiliation

  22. Emotional Acculturation US Study 91 participants • Korean immigrants (n=47) • Euro-Americans (n=44) Belgium Study 267 participants • Belgians (n=99) • Turkish first generation (n=78) • Turkish second generation (n=90)

  23. Emotional acculturation • Emotional concordance with mainstream emotional patterns is higher for mainstream people than for immigrants • Concordance for immigrants is predicted by exposure to mainstream culture and relationships with mainstream others • Emotional acculturation is not associated with self-reported acculturation of values and identity.

  24. Methods • Demographics • Place of Birth • Parents’ Place of Birth • Age of Immigration • Education • Scale for Emotional Acculturation (SEA) • Different types of situations (PE, PD, NE, ND) • Different contexts: work, family, • 17 emotion ratings Acculturation Questions Values/customs Social relationships X Heritage /Mainstream

  25. Emotional Concordance Mainstream Average Mean Mainstream American / Flemish Belgian ratings on 17 emotion items (by emotional situation and social context)‏ Individual concordance scores Correlation of the scores of each individual with the mainstream average (matched by emotional situation and social context)‏

  26. Emotional Concordance Individual Migrants’ Emotional Patterns r = .94 Belgian Mean Emotional Pattern r = .28 Positive Disengaging Situation In family context

  27. Mainstream & minority concordance Study 1 (US) Study 2 (Belgium)

  28. Who are the immigrants with higher emotional concordance? Study 1 (US) Study 2 (belgium) • Age of immigration • # years in US/ Age • Education • College (tertiary) • High School (secondary) • Values & Customs (Ryder, Alden & Paulhus 2000) • mainstream/heritage • Social contact and language • Mainstream friends and neighbours • Age of immigration • # years in Belgium / Age • Education • University (tertiary) • Secondary school (secondary) • Values & Customs (Ryder, Alden & Paulhus 2000) • mainstream/heritage • Social contact and language • Social contexts in which people have interactions with mainstream

  29. Who has higher emotional concordance? Age of immigration

  30. Who has higher emotional concordance? Proportion of life spent in the new culture

  31. Who has higher emotional concordance? Language Study 1 (US) Study 2 (Belgium)

  32. Who has higher emotional concordance? Relationships with host culture Study 2 (Belgium)

  33. Who has higher emotional concordance? Attitudes adoption Study 2 (Belgium)

  34. Emotional concordance predicted by: • Proportion of time spent in new culture (and age of immigration • Host language • Contacts with host culture NOT by self-reported adoption of traditions, values, and identification

  35. Values activated in emotional situations

  36. Were Bob’s emotions really as non-American as he claimed? • He spent the larger proportion of his life in the US • He adopted and used the English language • He had many American friends, colleagues, and an American family • So…his emotions were likely to be somewhat acculturated

  37. Were Bob’s emotions really as non-American as he claimed? BUT: • Celebrating Thanksgiving, rooting for American sport teams, and even identifying (Polish-)American are unrelated to having American emotions

  38. Attitudinal aggression against American emotions? (Zajonc, 1952)

  39. Collaborators Jozefien De Leersnyder ShinobuKitayama HeejungKim Mayumi Karasawa

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