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Sociology of emotions
The Sociology of emotions applies a sociological lens to the topic of emotions. The discipline of Sociology, which falls within the social sciences, is focused on understanding both the mind and society, studying the dynamics of the self, interaction, social structure, and culture. While the topic of emotions can be found in early classic sociological theories, sociologists began a more systematic study of emotions in the 1970s when scholars in the discipline were particularly interested in how emotions influenced the self, how they shaped the flow of interactions, how people developed emotional attachments to social structures and cultural symbols, and how social structures and cultural symbols constrained the experience and expression of emotions. Sociologists have focused on how emotions are present in the creation of social structures and systems of cultural symbols, and how they can also play a role in deconstructing social structures and challenging cultural traditions. In this case, in order to understand the mind, affect and rational thought must be considered since humans find motivation among non-rational factors such as levels of emotional commitment to norms, values, and beliefs. Within sociology, emotions can be seen as social constructs that are fabricated by interaction and collaboration between human beings. Emotions are a part of the human experience, and they gain their meaning from a given society's forms of knowledge.
While disciplines such as psychology focus on individual processes that bring about emotions, sociology takes a closer look at contexts that humans find themselves in and examine how social structures and culture influence emotions within people. Among the many possible disciplines that can approach the topic of emotions, there are specific aspects of Sociology that lend themselves to studying emotions. For example, the discipline of Sociology allows scholars to focus on the impact that factors such as social group (gender, class, race, and so on), culture, time, interactions, and situations may shape or influence human emotion. Sociology of emotions covers a variety of topics and questions as they relate to emotions, such as how emotions emerge within human interaction, how social norms regulate emotional expression and feeling, emotional differences between social groups, classes, and cultures, and so on. Within the discipline of Sociology, there are two specific fields that are particularly primed to approach the study of emotions: social psychology and the sociology of knowledge. In each of these fields, social factors are essential to studying mental structures and mentality.
According to George Herbert Mead, the human mind and the social self emerge in conduct with other people in social situations. The mind and self are social objects just like other physical objects, and the human perception of things involves taking a social attitude toward them. All human products are socially constructed and they exist in relation to the social world; what people think of a given object, person, living creature, and so on is determined within and through the process of interaction with others and within social institutions. Therefore, Mead placed mind and self "outside" of the human body in the sense that an individual's own mind and self exist only in relation to other minds and selves through social processes. Mead argued that "mind" is a combination, or structure, of relationships within a social world, and human consciousness functions within this relationship, but is not necessarily contained within a single human body.
The discipline sees human feeling and emotions as something that is experienced and constantly coming into existence in the context of cultural and historical variation; in other words, they shift and change depending on the social situation. Emotions are collective and they are determined by a given culture, community, or society. According to Mead, feelings are related to ideas and develop in relation to the forms of knowledge that shape social factors such as class, generations, and so on. Through the lens of sociology, emotions can be seen as social emergents in the way that they form part of the experience of a particular social group and its age, its experiences, and its responses.
Just as emotions may emerge from social experiences, Sociology is also interested in exploring how institutions and individuals disseminate expert knowledge about emotions. For example, there are many institutional roles such as counselors, therapists, psychologists, and others who practice and disseminate "social knowledge". Thus, emotions can be seen as social objects of human knowledge, efforts, and activities that are formed by social processes and generated by actors and social groups who have placed social significance on feelings and emotions. As social objects, emotions and feelings exist within specific social relationships and within a system of language. For example, discourse within the setting of therapy may assist in the dissemination of psychological knowledge within everyday life. This knowledge, which often includes knowledge about emotions, exists because of the social relationships, and the languages, in which they are discussed.
Some sociologists, especially those within the constructionist perspective, have made the claim that emotions primarily originate in culture. In this instance, members of a society learn emotional vocabulary, expressive behaviors, and shared meanings of every emotion from social relationships with others. Gordon posits that it is only through the socialization process that individuals learn emotion vocabulary that allows them to name internal sensations connected to the objects, events, and relationships that they encounter. While this view recognizes how emotions are influences and constrained by cultural norms, values, and beliefs, evidence from other disciplines and evidence supporting cross-cultural universality of many emotions weaken the claim that all emotions are socially constructed. The social constructionist perspective fails connect the activation, experience, and expressions of emotions to the human body. Despite the fact that emotions are often constrained and fueled by sociocultural contexts, the nature and intensity of an emotion are driven by biological processes. Furthermore, there is a neurology of emotions that can't be ignored within the context of social science. Therefore, many behavioral capacities, including emotions, can't be solely explained by socialization and the constraints of social structures. While the social constructionist argument is not wholly wrong, it fails to recognize the neurological wiring for the production of emotions.
More recent studies within sociology have worked to better recognize the reciprocal relationship between biology and sociocultural processes. Scholars have identified certain elements among emotions that connect to the sociological perspective. According to Turner and Stets, five points include:
Thus, according to this view, emotions are aroused by the activation of body systems. But once activated, emotions will be constrained by cognitive processes and culture.
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Sociology of emotions
The Sociology of emotions applies a sociological lens to the topic of emotions. The discipline of Sociology, which falls within the social sciences, is focused on understanding both the mind and society, studying the dynamics of the self, interaction, social structure, and culture. While the topic of emotions can be found in early classic sociological theories, sociologists began a more systematic study of emotions in the 1970s when scholars in the discipline were particularly interested in how emotions influenced the self, how they shaped the flow of interactions, how people developed emotional attachments to social structures and cultural symbols, and how social structures and cultural symbols constrained the experience and expression of emotions. Sociologists have focused on how emotions are present in the creation of social structures and systems of cultural symbols, and how they can also play a role in deconstructing social structures and challenging cultural traditions. In this case, in order to understand the mind, affect and rational thought must be considered since humans find motivation among non-rational factors such as levels of emotional commitment to norms, values, and beliefs. Within sociology, emotions can be seen as social constructs that are fabricated by interaction and collaboration between human beings. Emotions are a part of the human experience, and they gain their meaning from a given society's forms of knowledge.
While disciplines such as psychology focus on individual processes that bring about emotions, sociology takes a closer look at contexts that humans find themselves in and examine how social structures and culture influence emotions within people. Among the many possible disciplines that can approach the topic of emotions, there are specific aspects of Sociology that lend themselves to studying emotions. For example, the discipline of Sociology allows scholars to focus on the impact that factors such as social group (gender, class, race, and so on), culture, time, interactions, and situations may shape or influence human emotion. Sociology of emotions covers a variety of topics and questions as they relate to emotions, such as how emotions emerge within human interaction, how social norms regulate emotional expression and feeling, emotional differences between social groups, classes, and cultures, and so on. Within the discipline of Sociology, there are two specific fields that are particularly primed to approach the study of emotions: social psychology and the sociology of knowledge. In each of these fields, social factors are essential to studying mental structures and mentality.
According to George Herbert Mead, the human mind and the social self emerge in conduct with other people in social situations. The mind and self are social objects just like other physical objects, and the human perception of things involves taking a social attitude toward them. All human products are socially constructed and they exist in relation to the social world; what people think of a given object, person, living creature, and so on is determined within and through the process of interaction with others and within social institutions. Therefore, Mead placed mind and self "outside" of the human body in the sense that an individual's own mind and self exist only in relation to other minds and selves through social processes. Mead argued that "mind" is a combination, or structure, of relationships within a social world, and human consciousness functions within this relationship, but is not necessarily contained within a single human body.
The discipline sees human feeling and emotions as something that is experienced and constantly coming into existence in the context of cultural and historical variation; in other words, they shift and change depending on the social situation. Emotions are collective and they are determined by a given culture, community, or society. According to Mead, feelings are related to ideas and develop in relation to the forms of knowledge that shape social factors such as class, generations, and so on. Through the lens of sociology, emotions can be seen as social emergents in the way that they form part of the experience of a particular social group and its age, its experiences, and its responses.
Just as emotions may emerge from social experiences, Sociology is also interested in exploring how institutions and individuals disseminate expert knowledge about emotions. For example, there are many institutional roles such as counselors, therapists, psychologists, and others who practice and disseminate "social knowledge". Thus, emotions can be seen as social objects of human knowledge, efforts, and activities that are formed by social processes and generated by actors and social groups who have placed social significance on feelings and emotions. As social objects, emotions and feelings exist within specific social relationships and within a system of language. For example, discourse within the setting of therapy may assist in the dissemination of psychological knowledge within everyday life. This knowledge, which often includes knowledge about emotions, exists because of the social relationships, and the languages, in which they are discussed.
Some sociologists, especially those within the constructionist perspective, have made the claim that emotions primarily originate in culture. In this instance, members of a society learn emotional vocabulary, expressive behaviors, and shared meanings of every emotion from social relationships with others. Gordon posits that it is only through the socialization process that individuals learn emotion vocabulary that allows them to name internal sensations connected to the objects, events, and relationships that they encounter. While this view recognizes how emotions are influences and constrained by cultural norms, values, and beliefs, evidence from other disciplines and evidence supporting cross-cultural universality of many emotions weaken the claim that all emotions are socially constructed. The social constructionist perspective fails connect the activation, experience, and expressions of emotions to the human body. Despite the fact that emotions are often constrained and fueled by sociocultural contexts, the nature and intensity of an emotion are driven by biological processes. Furthermore, there is a neurology of emotions that can't be ignored within the context of social science. Therefore, many behavioral capacities, including emotions, can't be solely explained by socialization and the constraints of social structures. While the social constructionist argument is not wholly wrong, it fails to recognize the neurological wiring for the production of emotions.
More recent studies within sociology have worked to better recognize the reciprocal relationship between biology and sociocultural processes. Scholars have identified certain elements among emotions that connect to the sociological perspective. According to Turner and Stets, five points include:
Thus, according to this view, emotions are aroused by the activation of body systems. But once activated, emotions will be constrained by cognitive processes and culture.
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