Autonomy and Relatedness

Abstract

This article proposes a new way of examining emotions in a series of hierarchical contexts. Autonomy and relatedness form a set of emotional stances and behavioral interactions. Relatedness is often associated with emotional fields such as caring, nurture and love, whereas autonomy is not usually classified as an emotion. This article examines them as parts of a dialectical and hierarchical pattern of interaction. Autonomy and relatedness can be viewed as social sentiments which work as manifestations of individual behavior, the structure of relations between individuals, cultural patterns between sets of individuals, such as age and gender groups, and finally as qualities which characterize whole societies or communities in their relations with others. By looking at emotions as part of a dynamic set of processes, the article examines how action creates both individual and cultural expectations and practices. The article uses Turner’s concepts of dialectics and hierarchy to examine social and cultural values and activities.