Human Emotions and Anthropology

Paper Summary:

This report examines a specific aspect of the sociology of emotions, that of dealing with love, where elements of power and status are omnipresent. The paper explores the idea that emotions are physiological and biological and thus part of the study of anthropology. The writer includes many events as examples including love, sexuality, marriage, divorce and family values, among others. The paper concludes that there is a biological basis for emotional expression and the development of the normative influences which shape emotion is one of the most important contributions of social scientists working in this particular field.

From the Paper:

"Perrucci and Knudsen (1990) have noted that the changes which are now being observed in the composition of the traditional American family began in the nineteenth century, when institutions other than the family itself became significant in the lives and shaping of individuals and their attitudes. Schools, which emphasized individual achievement, jobs in industry which were individual rather than family positions, and courtship shifts in which the interest of the individual became paramount - each of these factors was somewhat instrumental in eliminating the power, authority and influence of the family unit."

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