Display Rules are described as the unwritten instructions that direct people in controlling their emotional expressions, depending on the situation. Emotional expressions can be expressed (verbally and facially) or regulated. Expressing emotions means to show true feelings regarding something, while controlling emotions are related to limiting expression of true feelings as a result of the condition surrounding the child. Previous findings have found that children are better in controlling their verbal expression than facial expression. This is partly due to society’s demand (parents and teachers) for children to regulate their verbal expression more than their facial emotions. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether children learn to regulate or express emotions earlier.
Display rules are differentiated in terms of their nature: prosocial and self-protective. Prosocial displays rules are related to the way people control their emotions to maintain their relationship with other people by protecting other’s feelings with respect to their cultural beliefs. On the other hand, self-protective display rules tend to be used for personal benefits while avoiding the negative consequences.
According to Gnepp and Hess, children are shown to be better in understanding prosocial display rules than self-protective display rules. However, other previous research suggested that children understand self-protective display rules earlier than prosocial display rules. Moreover, there was an indication that children used display rules more to avoid problems and preserve their self-esteem rather than maintaining their relationship with other people. Different situations, age and gender are thought to be the three factors that may contribute in the use of display rules among children. It has been suggested that children will not apply display rules (show their true emotions) in situations where the protagonists are alone. Nevertheless, display rules are used in situations where other people were present with the protagonists. For instance, a child will try not to cry if he fell from his bike in front of his friends (audience). In comparison, that child will cry (showing true emotions) if he fell from his bike alone. Age is another factor that affects the use of display rules in children. …show more content…
Previous researches have found that the use of display rules in children increases as the child gets older. However, it is not until the child reaches school age (around 10) that he begins to gain control over his facial and verbal expressions. Saarni (1979) has recorded a big difference in the use of display rules on 10 year olds and 6 to 8 year-olds children. The older age children were shown to use more display rules with more complicated ways in reasoning than the younger age group, but Banerjee (1997) has different view because children begun to understand the basic of display rules between age three to six. There have been different previous findings on the relationship between gender and the use of display rules. The level of understanding of facial display rules is shown to be higher in females than males. It was also suggested that social factors have played a role in the use of display rules between male and female. For example, there is a paradigm that associates male with the emotions of bravery and anger and female with the emotions of love, joy and fear. Nevertheless, other findings have suggested that there is no significant difference in the use of display rules between genders. This
Display rules are differentiated in terms of their nature: prosocial and self-protective. Prosocial displays rules are related to the way people control their emotions to maintain their relationship with other people by protecting other’s feelings with respect to their cultural beliefs. On the other hand, self-protective display rules tend to be used for personal benefits while avoiding the negative consequences.
According to Gnepp and Hess, children are shown to be better in understanding prosocial display rules than self-protective display rules. However, other previous research suggested that children understand self-protective display rules earlier than prosocial display rules. Moreover, there was an indication that children used display rules more to avoid problems and preserve their self-esteem rather than maintaining their relationship with other people. Different situations, age and gender are thought to be the three factors that may contribute in the use of display rules among children. It has been suggested that children will not apply display rules (show their true emotions) in situations where the protagonists are alone. Nevertheless, display rules are used in situations where other people were present with the protagonists. For instance, a child will try not to cry if he fell from his bike in front of his friends (audience). In comparison, that child will cry (showing true emotions) if he fell from his bike alone. Age is another factor that affects the use of display rules in children. …show more content…
Previous researches have found that the use of display rules in children increases as the child gets older. However, it is not until the child reaches school age (around 10) that he begins to gain control over his facial and verbal expressions. Saarni (1979) has recorded a big difference in the use of display rules on 10 year olds and 6 to 8 year-olds children. The older age children were shown to use more display rules with more complicated ways in reasoning than the younger age group, but Banerjee (1997) has different view because children begun to understand the basic of display rules between age three to six. There have been different previous findings on the relationship between gender and the use of display rules. The level of understanding of facial display rules is shown to be higher in females than males. It was also suggested that social factors have played a role in the use of display rules between male and female. For example, there is a paradigm that associates male with the emotions of bravery and anger and female with the emotions of love, joy and fear. Nevertheless, other findings have suggested that there is no significant difference in the use of display rules between genders. This