Child-Environment Interactions in the Socialization of Affect

Abstract

Research on the universality of facial expressions (Ekman, 1972) suggests that the socialization of affect involves interactions between situational variables and a finite repertoire of human emotions whose meanings are at least roughly synonymous among all members of the species. At the same time, Izard’s formulation (1978) of “affective-cognitive structures” shows that emotions are in reality not separable from the particular circumstances that are associated with them. The fact that it is possible to construct a list of “basic,” universally recognizable emotions derives not only from a species-specific repertoire of facial expressions, but perhaps more fundamentally from a larger set of human expressive behaviors, including laughter and crying as well as bodily movements and postures. These behaviors, for which a universal capacity exists, are also, without exception, carried out in particular circumstances. As elements in the human communicative function, they create the necessity of response from the environment while also being shaped by it. To use Lewis’s terms the contextual reality of emotional expression transforms “state” into “experience.”

The research reported here was supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William T. Grant Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant 33281). All statements made and views expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors.