The Experience of Emotions of Interdependence and Independence following Interpersonal Errors in Italy and Anglophone Canada

Abstract

We studied emotions that occurred after errors in joint plans. Each of 64 Italians and 60 Anglophone Canadians recorded, in a structured diary, a joint error such as a meeting being missed, a mistake in a joint task, etc. We wished to see whether, arising from such errors, particular kinds of emotion would be associated with the more interdependent culture (Italy) or the more independent culture (Canada). The most frequent emotion resulting from an error was anger (rabbia), an emotion of independence; it was somewhat more frequent among the Canadians, and confirming this difference it was found that conflict (conflitto) was very significantly more frequent for the Canadians. Feeling sorry (dispiacere), an emotion of interdependence, was significantly more common among the Italians. This was supported by the marginally significant finding that among Italians as compared with Canadians there were higher ratings of importance of the relationship with the other person, as compared with the importance of the plan as such.