The Functionalist Perspective On Emotions - 3350 Words

According to the functionalist perspective on emotions, emotions are defined as an attempt by the individual to establish, maintain, change, or terminate the relation between the environment and the individual (Frijda, 1986). This approach is intrinsically relational and suggests that one cannot understand emotion without considering the individual within any given context. Thus, emotions are conceptualized as being flexible, contextually bound, and goal directed, and are critical for guiding interpersonal relations (Butler, Lee, Gross, 2007; Campos, Mumme, Kermoian, Campos, 1994). In order to understand how emotions influence interpersonal relations one must consider the role of cultural context. Culture influences the way in which†¦show more content†¦Thus, the goal of this study is to examine cultural differences in peer socialization of emotions within children’s close, same-sex friendships. In order to appreciate the role of culture on emotion, one must first g ain an understanding of the importance of emotional development and socialization. Once these concepts have been explained, past research regarding culture and emotion will be evidenced in support for the current study proposal. Emotional Development and Socialization Emotional development is the emergence of a child’s experience, expression, understanding, and regulation of emotions. This developmental process begins in infancy and continues through late adolescence, with the most dramatic increase in skills often occurring during the transition from middle childhood to adolescence (von Salisch, 2001). Emotional development is strongly related with healthy psychological functioning, as research consistently supports the link between deficits in emotional competency and a variety of negative social and psychological outcomes such as increases in internalizing and externalizing symptomology (Garner Hinton, 2010; Perry-Parish Zeman, 2011). It is because of this strong association that researchers have pushed for increased attention to identify components deemed necessary for adaptive