As already argued in the context of globalization (Chapter 1) emotions are embedded in a social context and result from real, imagined, anticipated, or recollected outcomes of social relationships. In this chapter we aim to elaborate on this view by showing that emotions are part of an organized position repertoire and play a crucial role in the process of dialogue both between people and within the self of an individual. Special attention will be given to some affective implications of the traditional, modern, and post-modern models of the self. As part of the post-modern model we will discuss the phenomenon of consumerism as having important implications for the emotional lives of many people in contemporary society. Love will be discussed as a most relevant feeling to the dialogical self. Finally, a stage model will be outlined that can be used as a procedure for the dialogical change of emotions.

Emotions and self

This chapter is based on the assumption that there is an intense interconnection between self and emotion and their relation is understood as bi-directional (see also Morgan and Averill, 1992): emotions have an influence on the self and, conversely, the self is able to confirm or change emotions. Let's briefly elaborate on each of these directions.