Emotioner och emotionella uttryck i Sverige och Grekland

Abstract

The purpose is to explore and describe norms and values concerning emotions and emotional expression in Sweden and Greece from an emotionsociological perspective. Do emotional regimes on a national level exist and if they do, how do they differ? To answer this question qualitative interviews have been conducted with nine Greek/Swedes, men and women of different ages, who have lived in both countries and who speak both languages. A quantitative survey study, employing a survey previously used in a Swedish study about emotions, has also been undertaken. Previous studies have shown that emotional regimes do differ historically and across cultures, but no study so far has focused on the differences between examples of North European and South European cultures. The theoretical framework consists mainly of Hochschild´s theories about feeling/display rules and emotion work, but the analysis also draws on Collin´s theory of interaction ritual chains and on Sociology of Emotions more broadly. The results suggest that different national regimes can be distinguished primarily in terms of display rules and in the skills of emotional alternations. Emotions are encouraged in public, and required to be intense/“spontaneous”, in Greece. In Sweden emotions are kept in private and expressions are subtle. Conflict renders emotional energy in Greece, while the opposite goes for Sweden. Despite the differences, it is suggested that emotion work and control are shared (universal) phenomena. Gender differences between and within the regimes and between generations were also observed. Further research is required to support these results.