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Re: [xmca] Inappropriate affect
In thinking about the location of emotions and where they are situated I believe Thomas Scheff's exploration of the power of the particular emotions of embarrassment, shame, and humiliation as the foundational "social" emotions adds an important perspective to the elaboration of the place of emotion in our theories.
He was a student of Erving Goffman whose elaboration of Cooley's looking glass self focused on the centrality of emotions in our development of a social self. Goffman's basic work "Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" is interpreted by Scheff as extending and deepening Cooley's idea of the looking glass self. Scheff points out there are two BASIC components to the LGS:
1) shared awareness (intersubjectivity, attunement)
2)the emotions that are generated within shared awareness.
Scheff believes it is the RELATION BETWEEN these two components that can be used to develop fundamental conjectures about the basis for human conduct.
In extending Cooley's LGS Goffman argued that embarrassment, shame, and humiliation, had universal, pancultural importance for social cohesion. For Goffman embarrassment permeates everyday life and our dealings with others. It informs ordinary conduct in areas of social life that institutionalized life does not reach. Embarrassment and shame arise from a threat to the social bond, no matter how slight.
For Scheff, ATTUNEMENT, the degree of social CONNECTEDNESS, of accurately taking the viewpoint of the other WITHOUT JUDGING IT is the KEY component of social bonds.
Scheff (and Cooley & Goffman) believe persons are constantly aware of their own standing in the eyes of others, implying almost continuous states of self-conscious social emotions of embarrassment and shame or the ANTICIPATION of these states. (and when attunement is mutual, feelings of pride)
Scheff points out that in discussion of topics such as conflict, sexuality, and honor the emotions of embarrassment and shame are implicated. Goffman and Scheff analyze the process of the LGS as a dynamic process with 3 interrelated components
1)Imagination of the others' view of self
2)the IMAGINED JUDGEMENT of the other of self
3)the ACTUAL, not imagined FEELING about self that is the result of steps 1 & 2.
Scheff in elaborating this perspective believes it is almost impossible for readers to accept his premises because of the BIASES of Western society when discussing shame and humiliation. Scheff proposes there is a TABOO on shame in modern INDUSTRIAL societies. He sees that studies of shame in social sciences by Cooleey, Freud, Elias, and Goffman, are generally ignored.
Scheff points out when these social emotions are discussed it is the mildest form of the emotion - embarrassment - (a less intense form of shame) that breaks the taboo and is let into discourse. As Scheff states, "Embarrassment is speakable, shame is UNSPEAKABLE, in ordinary conversation.(Page 9, of article on web titled "LGS: the Cooley/Goffman Conjecture.
Scheff points out that Mead and Dewey, who followed in Cooley's footsteps focused on "taking the role of the other" focus their analysis on behavior, and thoughts of others. Scheff believed Cooley carried the idea of "taking the role of the other" further in his looking glass self because he includes the centrality of emotion in his analysis.
Following is an extended quote from Cooley that captures his position on social self feeling.
As is the case with other feelings, we do not think much of it [that is, of social self-feeling] so long as it is moderately and regularly gratified. Many people of balanced mind and congenial activity scarcely know that they care what others think of them, and will deny, perhaps with indignation, that such care is an important factor in what they are and do. But this is ILLUSION. If failure or disgrace arrives, if one suddenly finds that the faces of men [sic] show coldness or contempt instead of kindliness and deference that he is used to, he will perceive from the shock, the fear, the sense of being outcast and helpless, that he was living in the minds of others without knowing it, just as we daily walk the solid ground without thinking how it bears us up. (Cooley, 1922)
Scheff when interpreting this passage sees this idea as profoundly important. He states "intersubjectivity is so built into our cultural make-up that it will usually be virtually invisible. It follows from it that we should expect that not only laypersons but even most social scientists will avoid explicit consideration of intersubjectivity. Although human communication is built upon intersubjective accord, it is learned so early in infancy it goes unmarked in most discourse.
I wanted to post this extended summary of Scheff's analysis of the centrality of the social bond to human conduct and activity because it draws our attention to concrete moment to moment particular emotions and therefore moves the discussion of emotions from a level of generality (emotions) to a consideration of particular emotions (shame).
Scheff also suggests that this analysis of shame and humiliation as possibly being key emotions for understanding the processes of social bonding may be defended against being acknowledged or as Scheff says UNSPEAKABlE.
Larry
----- Original Message -----
From: Jay Lemke <jaylemke@umich.edu>
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 6:10 pm
Subject: Re: [xmca] Inappropriate affect
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Eric,
>
> So how do we know that "culture does not mediate these
> individual
> responses"? That seem pretty unlikely to me.
>
> JAY.
>
>
> Jay Lemke
> Professor (Adjunct, 2009-2010)
> Educational Studies
> University of Michigan
> Ann Arbor, MI 48109
> www.umich.edu/~jaylemke
>
> Visiting Scholar
> Laboratory for Comparative Human Communication
> University of California -- San Diego
> La Jolla, CA
> USA 92093
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 8, 2009, at 4:33 AM, ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org wrote:
>
> >
> > Inappropriate affect is a clinical psychiatric term that
> refers to an
> > individual's response to emotion; examples are laughing at
> hearing
> > about
> > the death of a loved one, crying that someone ate the last
> piece of
> > pie, or
> > outrageous anger that a favorite TV show has been postponed
> because
> > of a
> > weather report. Culture does NOT mediate these
> individual responses.
> > People exhibit internal drives. What is discussed when
> exploring the
> > meaning of emotions is aesthetics and not the actual
> emotions.
> > Animals are
> > not happy, they are content. Humans experience true joy
> that is not
> > mediated by culture and it is what separates us from the animals.
> > Archeological evidence is revealing that Homo Sapiens and
> Neanderthals> existed at the same time; one succeeded due to a
> development of a
> > culture.
> > I dare say that culture developed as a result of shared emotional
> > experiences found beyond what other animals experience.
> Humans are
> > extremely vulnerable and within this vulnerability they have
> found
> > their
> > greatest strength!
> > eric
> >
> > To: "eXtended Mind, Culture,
> Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> > cc:
> > bcc:
> > Subject: Re:
> [xmca] Emotions and Culture
> > Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net>
> > Sent by: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu
> > 12/08/2009 01:53 PM ZE11
> > Please respond to
> ablunden <font size=-1></font>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yes, for Hegel when Spirit first manifests itself out of
> > Nature it is in the form of Feeling arising from a
> > Nature-given physical body. But really, this is just the
> > point where Hegel makes his biggest mistakes, he thinks the
> > human body emerges directly as a thing of Nature, rather
> > than being a product of culture.
> >
> > Andy
> >
> > ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org wrote:
> >> Andy; you and I have discussed much of CHAT and have come
> to
> >> agreements
> >> about a great deal concerning the definitions pertaining to
> CHAT
> >> but when
> >> it comes to true emotions you have yours and I have
> mine. Hegel I
> > believe
> >> spoke of them as the Spirit.
> >> eric
> >
> >
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> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
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