Analysis Of Ego-Focused Emotions

Markus and Kitayama point out, emotions are imprinted in social situations, which can effect the situation as well as the actions of the person. Ego focused emotions versus other focused emotions discussed in the article, represent the range of feelings one may experience based on their perspective of self. Ego-focused emotions typically apply to Western cultures and the independent self, which include rage, defeat and pride. These types of emotions tie into the individuals own characteristics of being goal driven and having desires. It is encouraged to let these feelings show as ignoring them is like ignoring or denying one’s self. Emotions, which include sympathy, inter-relatedness and shame, center more on other people than oneself and are

The authors included a study that made use of participants from Japan and America. Mothers and their children were interviewed regarding poor performance on grades. The Japanese mothers connected poor grades to little effort while American mothers connected poor grades to numerous reasons: little effort, lack of ability, poor training, bad luck etc. The children of these mothers were asked for their opinion too and both groups of children had the same opinions as their mothers. This idea of effort versus ability strongly ties into the two opposing perspectives of self. While children in Japan have been born and bred to understand the importance of obtaining good grades in order to keep their family happy, maintain a balance in their environment and fulfill their social obligation to others, little attention is paid to the child’s ability as an individual. I believe that when it comes to learning and education, no child is the same. All children learn on different levels and should not be held accountable for falling behind if they lack ability or had a nightmare the night before the test causing them to forget some of the studied material. If children are being held to such high standards of achievement all the time, this can be detrimental to the child’s sense of self. The child may feel pressure from teachers, families and peers that the child could become depressed or suicidal as in the case of some Korean Students. Ultimately, I believe more flexible attitude is good for a child if they should they come home with a poor grade one day. I enjoyed reading about how when a child performs successfully they do not get any feedback, yet when they perform poorly, they get constructive criticism. In America, I feel as though we are too quick to compliment. Everyone gets a trophy for being part of the team or achieving mediocrity. While being