Abstract
This study examined mothers’ and fathers’ (N = 102) beliefs about emotion and emotion expression in boys and girls aged 8 to 12 years using a mixed-methods design. Parents attended two focus group sessions 2 weeks apart. A thematic analysis of the group transcripts resulted in six themes: value in the experience and expression of emotion, vulnerability in the experience and expression of emotion, multiple influences on children’s learning about emotion, distinct expectations for emotion displays at home versus in public, gender roles influence emotion expectations, and generational shift in emotion-related expectations. Identified themes were consistent with previous research, yet new themes emerged relevant to gender and gender roles within society. Implications of gender-related roles and expectancies are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
