AUTHOR=Dzokoto Vivian A. , Osei-Tutu Annabella , Kyei Jane J. , Twum-Asante Maxwell , Attah Dzifa A. , Ahorsu Daniel K. TITLE=Emotion Norms, Display Rules, and Regulation in the Akan Society of Ghana: An Exploration Using Proverbs JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01916 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01916 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=

Proverbs are widely used by the Akan of West Africa. The current study thematically analyzed an Akan proverb compendium for proverbs containing emotion references. Of the identified proverbs, a focus on negative emotions was most typical. Emotion-focused proverbs highlighted four emotion regulation strategies: change in cognition, response modulation, situation modification, and situation selection. A subset of proverbs addressed emotion display rules restricting the expression of emotions such as pride, and emotional contagion associated with emotions such as shame. Additional themes including: social context influences on the expression and experience of emotion; expectations of emotion limits; as well as the nature of emotions were present in the proverb collection. In general, Akan emotion-related proverbs stress individual-level responsibility for affect regulation in interpersonal interactions and societal contexts.