For what it's worth, we're currently using "triads" in an attempt to
map cultural differences in the semantic space of certain words
our San Juan and Connecticut mothers have used to describe qualities
they'd like their children to possess (e.g., independent, secure,
friendly, respectful, obedient, etc.). Basically, mothers are given
a list of 11 different qualities combined in different sets of three,
and for each set of three ("triad"), they select the one word which
is least like the other two words in meaning. This yields a
topological "diagram" of the semantic relationship of these words,
which we would expect to be different among the two groups of
mothers (e.g., is responsible closer to intelligent or closer to
respectful?). I suspect similar things could be done with affect
words. I know that Hazel Markus has been doing some interesting work
with affect terms across cultures, and finds both similarities
and differences. I don't know what the psychoanalytic perspective
would make of these differences, beyond the finding that in China
there are over a hundred separate terms for the concept of "shame"!
Robin