This anthropological study of the role of cultural influences on emotional processes is designed to fill a major gap in research on emotion: when, and to what degree, do cultural rules intervene (1) to define the emotionaltone of events in particular culture-specific ways and (2) to define culture-specific displays of emotion. Also, what is the emotional process in those cultures which emphasize emotions as interpersonal behavior rather than as internal states? A long-term objective is to study the relation of emotional processes to the social and cultural structure of a society in terms of mental health interests. The research would work out the verbal emotional realm (how do people talk about emotion), would study the flow of emotion from antecedent event to expression, and would make a longitudinal study of the development of mature emotional behavior in children. The research would be done primarily with the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, Indonesia and also comparative work would be done with Batak of Sumatra and Central Javanese. It would be carried out in Indonesia during the first and third years of the three-year study. It would combine anthropological methods of naturalistic observation using video-tape records for detailed analysis and psychological experiments on facial expressions. The Minangkabau are particularly high risk culture in mental health terms, perhaps in part because of stress arising from the tension between their matrilineal social structure and their patriarchal religion (Islam). Thus, they provide a particularly appropriate group with which to examine the process of emotional development and emotional flow in a situation where the socio-cultural conditions make the overall mental health unusually labile. The role of emotion is fundamental to mental health and illenss and fuller understanding of the culture-specific component of emotional behavior is of great potential value in the accurate understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
