Culture and Experience Shape Emotions
Understand that personal experiences, culture and the current situation can influence feelings. Two people may react differently to the same event. Sharing a culture does not mean having identical feelings.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain why two people might have very different emotional reactions to the same event
- Give an example of how a past experience shaped someone's emotional response
- Describe how cultural background might influence what makes someone feel proud or embarrassed
1 · Read
One person can have mixed feelings. Different people can also feel differently about the same event. Memories, culture and what is happening now can influence feelings. Culture includes beliefs and customs shared by families and communities. A reaction alone does not tell you someone's history.
A balloon once popped beside Ben's ear and startled him. Ben says that memory makes him nervous when balloons pop now. Tam says she enjoys the surprise. Ben tells us a reason for his reaction. A past scare can influence fear, but someone can feel afraid without having had that experience.
What families praise or expect can influence pride or embarrassment. One family might welcome loud singing at a celebration; another might prefer quiet singing. Learned greetings can also feel familiar or respectful. Shared customs do not decide everyone's feelings. Two people in the same culture may react differently. A custom alone does not tell you what someone feels or shows.
A feelings graph can count people's answers. That does not measure how strong each feeling is. Read the number above each bar. To find how many more people gave one answer, subtract the smaller count from the larger count. In the storm example, 5 minus 4 is 1 more child reporting fear.
If a friend feels differently, listen without making fun of them. You can ask, 'Would you like to tell me how you feel?' They may choose not to explain. Avoid guessing their history or judging a whole culture. You can respect a feeling while still expecting safe, kind actions.
Experiences, culture and the situation can influence feelings. Listen to each person rather than guessing from their background.
This lesson, quiz and flashcards were written for this dataset about culture, experience and feelings.
These two original readings were written for this dataset about shared customs, possible reasons for feelings and respectful listening.
More to read
Ask the person, not the whole group
At a fictional celebration, one family cheers after a child's song. Another family offers quiet congratulations. A child familiar with quiet praise might find the cheering surprising. Another child might enjoy it.
Shared beliefs and customs can influence feelings about praise, greetings and celebrations. They do not give every person the same reaction. Even two children in one family may feel differently.
If you want to understand a person's feelings, listen to what that person says. You can ask whether they want to talk. Avoid deciding that one reaction tells you what a whole community feels.
A possible reason is not a known reason
Nico feels nervous before a school play. A friend wonders whether Nico once forgot a line. That could be one explanation, but the friend does not know it happened.
Nico might be thinking about something else. The current situation may matter, and Nico may not know the reason yet. A feeling does not reveal a complete history.
The friend can say, 'Would you like to talk about how you feel?' Nico can share a reason, say 'I'm not sure,' or choose not to talk. Listening does not require investigating someone's private experiences.
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.