Emotionality stigma refers to the negative beliefs and judgments about emotions and people who express them for example, treating crying as a sign of weakness, viewing fear as embarrassing, or dismissing someone who talks about their feelings as burdensome or incapable. When children and adolescents repeatedly hear messages like “don’t be dramatic,” “you’re overreacting,” or that showing emotion is a weakness and they may internalize these attitudes and come to believe that their feelings are unacceptable.
Researchers Hayley D. Seely and Eileen Chen note that emotions themselves are not harmful, but the beliefs and perspectives attached to them can create psychological problems. Adolescents who learn to hide, suppress or avoid their emotions often develop unhelpful coping strategies such as isolation and reluctance to seek help which can increase emotional distress and worsen mental health. Seely and Chen describe three related components i.e., stigma endorsement (believing negative stereotypes about emotions), stigma resistance (the ability to reject those negative beliefs), and differential treatment (experiencing unfair treatment for expressing emotion) Their research found that higher endorsement of emotionality stigma is associated with poorer well-being and weaker attachment. Teaching adolescents that emotions are normal and addressing negative beliefs about emotional expression can improve outcomes and reduce harm caused by emotionality stigma.
