Self- and Other-Oriented Motivations Associated with Emotional Suppression of Internalized and Externalized Negative Emotions: A Multiethnic Self-Report Study in the Netherlands

We were interested in the motivations associated with emotional suppression, their relationship with negative emotions in self-reported emotional events, and their cross-cultural similarities and differences. Based on a framework of human values (Schwartz, 1994) and internalization-externalization (Krueger & Markon, 2006), we expected in the current study that self-reported motivations to suppress negative emotions are either self- or other-oriented. The sample consisted of 354 Dutch majority members, 319 immigrants from non-Western, and 368 from Western countries. The two-dimensional solution of self- and other-oriented motivations was confirmed. Non-Western immigrants scored higher on other-oriented motivation than Western immigrants, but no interethnic differences were found in self-oriented motivation. Non-Western immigrants scored higher on anxiety, compassion, guilt, and hate compared to Dutch group. Associations of negative emotions with self- and other- oriented motivation were the same in all groups. Sadness was positively related to self-oriented motivation, whereas anger was positively related to other-oriented motivation. We concluded that emotional suppression depends not only on self- or other-orientation but also on the type of emotions (internalized versus externalized) and the relationships are not influenced by ethnicity

Interethnic Similarity of Anger Suppression-Aggression Association in Conflicts in Intimate and Non-Intimate Relationships Across Ethnic Groups in the Netherlands

This study examined associations between emotional suppression, anger, and aggression in intimate (parent and friend) and non-intimate (boss and shop assistant) conflicts in a vignette study conducted among immigrants and majority group members in the Netherlands. The sample consisted of 456 Dutch majority group members, 445 immigrants from non-Western, and 477 immigrants from Western countries. Path analyses showed that anger fully mediated the emotion suppression-aggression relationship in a similar way across groups and conflicts with a parent, boss, and shop assistant (only in a conflict situation with a boss, emotional suppression and anger were both directly related to aggression). As expected, non-Western immigrants experienced less anger in these conflicts. However, no interethnic differences were found in the tendency to suppress anger and aggression in any conflict situation. We could not replicate earlier observed cross-cultural differences in obedience, hierarchy, and restriction of emotional expression among the samples. We concluded that non-Western immigrants do not seem to differ in management of anger in interpersonal conflict situations from Western groups

Semantic Priming of Colored Signs in the Peripheral Vision during Electronic Text Reading

This study explores if peripheral colored ambient light or colored light can be noticed and semantically associated with text while reading a novel from an Electronic Visual Display (EVD). Additionally, it is investigated if those colored signs are perceived as supplementary to the story and result in a more immersive experience. For that purpose, a user evaluation study was performed based on attention theory (selective attention, semantic priming, and divided attention), reading behavior, and semantics of colors. Participants received a reading assignment. While reading a novel from an e-book, dynamic colored ambient light or colored light was emitted. Throughout the reading assignment, the colors were adapted to the particular scenes the participant was reading. Findings suggest that attention can be divided between reading the novel from an EVD and the ambient color signs

The role of perceived discrimination, intergroup contact and adoption in acculturation among four Dutch immigrant groups

Perceived discrimination, intergroup contact and acceptance are often encountered during acculturation processes. Based on large-scale survey data collected in the Netherlands among Antillean-Dutch, Moroccan-Dutch, Surinamese-Dutch, and Turkish-Dutch immigrant groups, re-lations were tested between acculturation antecedents (perceived discrimination, intergroup con-tact, and perceived acceptance), mediating conditions (cultural maintenance and cultural adoption), and acculturation outcomes (psychological and sociocultural outcomes). Confirmatory factor analyses pointed to adequate psychometric qualities for all concepts in the total group and to invariance in the four Dutch immigrant groups. Structural equation modeling revealed a very good fit for our model in the total group and the four immigrant groups. The acculturation model captured similar experiences, notwithstanding the different cultural backgrounds of the four groups. Experiencing discrimination had a direct negative effect on sociocultural and psycho-logical outcomes such as well-being, and indirectly via cultural adoption. The frequency of im-migrants’ contacts with various groups positively affected adopting the new culture and maintaining their own. This implies both attitudes are needed, that is, appreciating their back-ground culture while also having a positive attitude toward Dutch society and more confidence in sociocultural skills. Surinamese-Dutch appeared to best fit the described acculturation process. However, there were also some differential effects. For example, for the Turkish-Dutch group, experiencing more discrimination did not result in a more negative attitude toward Dutch society. In addition, for Antillean-Dutch the frequency of contact with various cultures had no direct effect on mediating conditions. Further research should uncover general acculturation mechanisms without neglecting singular patterns within the various immigrant groups

Ethnic outgroup aggression : a pilot study on the importance of emotion regulation, nationalism and susceptibility to persuasion

The current pilot study investigated the psychological mechanisms behind ethnic outgroup aggression, a significant outcome of intergroup conflicts. While previous research suggested several impactful predictors of ethnic outgroup aggression, such as intergroup contact and nationalism, no attempt has been made to synthesize all these constructs into a single crosscultural study. Building on existing research, this pilot study is the first to assess a refined framework where we tested a proposed mediation model according to nationalism and emotion regulation mediate the relationship between intergroup contact, susceptibility to persuasion, and intergroup anxiety on the one hand and ethnic outgroup aggression on the other hand within a cross-cultural sample. An online questionnaire was distributed using convenience sampling among 2482 students with an ethnic majority background living and studying in ten (European) countries. Multigroup path analysis supported the larger part of the hypothesized model where we found that emotion regulation partially mediated the relationship between susceptibility to persuasion as a predictor and aggression as an outcome. As expected, we found that the higher the susceptibility to persuasion, the higher the emotion regulation, and the higher the regulation, the lower the aggression in all countries. Our pilot study provided preliminary evidence that emotion regulation, nationalism and susceptibility to persuasion are critical for the understanding of ethnic outgroup aggression in ethnically diverse societies. Future research needs to be carried out focusing on the development of an intergroup anxiety assessment in which possible gender dif-ferences in assessed constructs are considered