How to be “emotional”?
Traditional prejudice says that men are rational while women are “emotional.” According to empirical studies this view seems to be held globally even today, while at the same time other results show that men are judged to be more aggressive and “angry” than women. These paradoxical results can be explained by a proper interpretation of what “emotional” means: the ancient Greeks did not believe that women had more emotions than man had, but rather believed that women were not in control of their emotions, and thus were generally “weak.” This background belief can be traced throughout history until today. It imposes a certain paradox on female gender identity: to be or to become a woman seems to demand not being in full control of oneself, which again contradicts the possibility of voluntarily becoming a unified person. There is no rational way to be “emotional.”
Cited by (3)
Cited by three other publications
de Boise, Sam & Jeff Hearn
2017.
Are men getting more emotional? Critical sociological perspectives on men, masculinities and emotions.
The Sociological Review 65:4
► pp. 779 ff.
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de Boise, Sam
2016.
Contesting ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ difference in emotions through music use in the UK.
Journal of Gender Studies 25:1
► pp. 66 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Smith, Jacqueline S., Victoria L. Brescoll & Erin L. Thomas
2016.
Constrained by Emotion: Women, Leadership, and Expressing Emotion in the Workplace. In
Handbook on Well-Being of Working Women,
► pp. 209 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
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