| Story
of Bali, Indonesia
Bateson
and Mead focused on the ways children were reared and
emotions handled, and related them to patterns of culture
and Bateson (1949) conected patterns of child rearing
with the Balinese national character'. Mead concluded
that the Balinese show little emotional expression:
'a character curiously cut off from interpersonal relationships'
and a life 'centered in one's own body to which all
emotion long ago withdrew', having its origin in childhood
between the ages of three and six. Bateson and Mead
emphasized the repression and the control of feelings
of aggression. These general conclusions have been accepted
and repeated by other ethnologists. (Ketter, 1983; C.
Geertz, 1966), and have been discussed in Chapter 5.
These theses of Bateson and Mead can be evaluated by
a consideration
of the patterns
of relevant
emotional
behavior observed
in the authors'
studies of the Balinese.
The Balinese
express some
types of
emotions
strongly,
overtly,
and spontaneously
in many social
situations
but avoid
expression
of some emotions
in certain
situations.
Examples
of the former
are: (1) joking. smiling,
and laughing
in everyday
interaction
among family
and friends, (2) raucous
laughter
by the audience at theatre dramas in which exaggerated
emotions of
all kinds
are portrayed;
(3) gaiety and
exuberance at
certain ceremonies
such as cremation and cock-fights (Covarrubias, 1937);
and (4) friendly greeting
of strangers along the road. In this latter situation
most persons, especially children and youths, are often
spontaneous and cheerfully assertive. They make sustained
eye contact, smile, say hello, and comment or call out
a question (e.g., where are you going, why are you walking,
or why are you going alone?). If they do not initiate
the greeting, they generally respond immediately to
that of the stranger.
The
Balinese suppress or avoid outward expression of emotions
in many situations. There is a muting or absence of
expressed anger in everyday Balinese social interaction
(Belo, 1935) and argument in public situations is unusual,
although disagreements are more openly expressed in
the home. Arguments between males seldom end in fighting,
being usually resolved before this through meditation
by a village leader (Bateson, 1949). One seldom sees
a fight or hears cross words in Bali.
The
Balinese
suppress
humor and
joking exchanges
in more formal
situations,
such as at a meeting
with the authorities,
or when dealing
with persons
of higher
status. For
example,
the interns
as a group at the hospital joke, laugh, and tease while
waiting around the ward but when they hear a superior
approaching they make a shhh'
sound and become
quiet immediately.
Suppression
of emotions
was mentioned
above, during
cock-fights and temple offerings. Youths at a rock concert
are strangely
quiet by Western standards (relatively little shouting,
jumping up and down, crowding around rock stars, or
enthusiastic applause). The Balinese express some feelings
non-verbally though seldom verbally. They seldom say,
I love you to anyone.
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