Negative emotions and culture

Abstract

The article considers the relation and mutual influence of negative emotions and culture. It provides arguments for the distinction between negative and positive emotions. The main claim is that what distinguishes negative emotions is that their intentionality is directed towards the subject themselves, by which the subject becomes the emotion’s hostage. Although intuitively wrongheaded, the article claims that negative emotions can have a positive impact in social life and serve the advancement of human values and struggles against injustice. Valuing negative emotions refers to correspondence with relevant social norms, that is to say, how can we judge social events in the framework of ethical, moral, or social values.

Keywords

• negative emotions
• culture
• empathy
• collective emotional intentionality
• hostage
• social values