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22 - Emotional Contagion, Intimate Intercultural Relationships, and Intercultural Training

from Part IV - New Interdisciplinary Approaches to Intercultural Training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

By
Elaine Hatfield ,
Shari Paige  and
Richard L. Rapson
Edited by
Dan Landis  and
Dharm P. S. Bhawuk
Dan Landis
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Hilo
Dharm P. S. Bhawuk
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
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Summary

In recent years, scholars from a wide variety of disciplines have begun to study the process of emotional contagion. These disciplines include cultural psychology, anthropology, primatology, the neurosciences, biology, social psychology, and history. Primitive emotional contagion appears to be a basic building block of human interaction. It assists in “mind-reading” (allowing people to understand others’ thinking), sharing others’ emotions, as well as coordinating and synchronizing their activities with others.Primitive emotional contagion is also an important component of empathy. In this chapter we will discuss the many ways people can “mind-read” and feel themselves into others’ emotional experiences – especially those from disparate cultures and ethnic groups. We will also discuss the ways in which an understanding of the contagion process may be integrated into intercultural training programs. We begin by reviewing the theory of Emotional Contagion.

Keywords

emotional contagionmind readingempathymimicryfeedbackpower
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Training , pp. 640 - 657
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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