This essay deals with the question whether facial expressions are universal meaning
that all cultures use the same mimics for expressing a certain feeling. Are these
expressions innate or do they have to be learned?
First, I will give an overview of Charles Darwin’s theory about the universality of facial
expressions because he was the first who dealt in detail with this issue.
The chapter is subdivided in three parts: the first part describes the relationship
between the facial expressions of nonhuman primates and human primates. The
following part deals with Darwin’s observations of the facial expression in infants and
children including those children that have no opportunity to learn facial expressions
from others. Finally, Darwin’s method of cross-cultural study in order to provide
evidence for his claim will be presented.
The second chapter depicts the behaviourists’ position that in contrast to the
Universalists’ point of view is based on the belief that all facial expressions are
learned and culturally bound.
The main chapter represents the most current and detailed research of facial
expressions. The studies of Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen refer mainly to Darwin
but also consider the cultural aspect. They introduce a neurocultural theory of
emotions, showing that the facial behaviour itself is determined by biological factors
as well as by social factors. Further, I will give a summary of three important
experiments Ekman and Friesen conducted in order to proof that the facial
expressions for the six basic emotions are universal.
[...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Universalist approach - Charles Darwin
2.1 the origins of facial expressions
2.2 facial expressions of infants and children
2.2.1 feral, institutionalised and blind children
2.3 the method of cross cultural studies
3. The culture – specific view
3.1 Klineberg and the issue of display rules
3.2 Emblems and emotions
4. The interactionist approach
4.1 The neurocultural theory of facial expressions of emotions
4.2 The recognition of the spontaneous facial expression
4.3 The recognition of emotions in five literate cultures
4.4 The recognition and expression of emotions in preliterate cultures
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic work explores whether facial expressions are universal across human cultures or if they are primarily learned and socially constructed. The research question addresses the fundamental debate regarding whether human mimics are innate biological traits or culturally bound behaviors.
- Charles Darwin’s evolutionary perspective on facial expressions.
- The behaviorist viewpoint emphasizing cultural learning and social conditioning.
- Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen’s neurocultural theory integrating biology and social factors.
- Empirical analysis of cross-cultural recognition of basic emotions.
- The impact of "display rules" on the expression of emotions in diverse societies.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 The neurocultural theory of facial expressions of emotions
This theory is about elicitors evoking an innate facial affect program that is modified by display rules and results in behavioural consequences or coping [see Harper, Wiens, Matazarro. 1978. p.100]. The facial affect program is located within the nervous system of a human being and is responsible for the connection between particular facial movements and particular emotions. In order to activate this program an elicitor of emotions is required. Elicitors can be very different among the cultures although there are some that share the same characteristics. The elicitors of disgust for example have in common that they are toxic or aching. Elicitors of surprise share the feature that they are unexpected and sudden. Indeed there are no universal elicitors for particular emotions. Elicitors evoke an automatic judgement system that identifies the corresponding feeling and then activates the equivalent part of the facial affect program. Nevertheless the process of judgement can proceed. Emotions can be repeated or occur with different feelings.
The facial affect program is the central mechanism to regulate physical reactions on emotions. These include mainly facial movements but as well the voice and the movement of muscles. It is quite difficult to control some of the physical reactions regulated by this program like the respiration or the pulse rate. However, facial expressions are controlled by display rules as I have already mentioned in the third chapter. Display rules intensify, reduce or replace an emotional reaction. Ekman additionally makes a distinction between individual and cultural display rules. Cultural display rules determine among other things how people, according to their status or function, have to behave on public ceremonies like funerals. A violation of a display rule would be that the secretary of the deceased shows more grief as the widow does [Ekman, 1988, p.31]
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the central debate between universalist and behaviorist perspectives on facial expressions and defines the scope of the study.
2. The Universalist approach - Charles Darwin: This chapter examines Darwin’s evolutionary theory, focusing on how he linked human facial expressions to animal behavior and innateness.
3. The culture – specific view: This section details the behaviorist counter-argument, highlighting how display rules and cultural norms influence the manifestation of emotions.
4. The interactionist approach: This main chapter presents the neurocultural theory, synthesizing biological foundations with cultural socializations through empirical experiments.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes that while universal biological affect programs exist, cultural display rules significantly modulate emotional expression.
6. Bibliography: This section provides the academic references used throughout the study.
Keywords
Facial expressions, Universalism, Behaviorism, Charles Darwin, Paul Ekman, Neurocultural theory, Display rules, Emotions, Nonverbal communication, Innateness, Socialization, Elicitors, Coping, Cross-cultural studies, Kinesics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The paper investigates whether facial expressions are universal, innate human traits or if they are culturally learned behaviors.
What are the central themes discussed in this work?
The work covers evolutionary theories of expressions, the impact of culture and socialization, and the interactionist model that combines biological and social determinants.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if basic human emotions are expressed in the same way across all cultures and how display rules affect these expressions.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The study relies on a comparative analysis of established psychological theories and the evaluation of empirical experiments conducted by Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the "interactionist approach," specifically the neurocultural theory of emotions, and reviews various experiments regarding emotional recognition across literate and preliterate cultures.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Universalism, Neurocultural theory, Display rules, Innateness, and Facial affect program.
What is meant by "display rules" in the context of this study?
Display rules are culture-specific norms that regulate when, how, and with what intensity individuals show emotional expressions in social settings.
Why did Ekman study isolated cultures in New Guinea and Borneo?
To verify the universality of facial expressions, he needed to observe participants who had no exposure to Western media or common cultural influences.
What is the difference between an "elicitor" and the "facial affect program"?
An elicitor is an external or internal stimulus that triggers the emotional response, while the facial affect program is the internal nervous system mechanism that translates the emotion into physical facial movements.
- Citar trabajo
- Thuy Nguyen (Autor), 2005, Universals in facial expression , Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/115799
