The Interactional Nature of Emotion Work in Thai Marriages: Anger, Romance and Guilt

ABSTRACT

Marriage has increasingly been recognised as a site of emotional interaction and satisfaction, in which the interactional, relational nature of emotion is evident, but most accounts of emotions in marriage rely on Western examples. What does the study of Thai marital emotions tell us about the culturally specific nature of marriage and emotional interaction? Using data derived from interviews with middle-class married couples in Bangkok, Thailand, this article focuses on three emotions that have particular significance in Thai marriage: anger, romance and guilt. I demonstrate the ways in which Thai married couples actively engage in emotion works, including by creating, decreasing, increasing and employing emotions, in order to fulfil their spousal roles and sustain a lasting marriage. I argue that emotion works are relational, and are performed in marital interactions within particular socio-cultural rules and contexts. Importantly, along with a Western idea of individualism, Thai traditional values, mainly marital harmony and endurance, influence emotional interaction in marriage.

ບົດຄັດຫຍໍ້

ລາວໄດ້ຖືກດຶງເຂົ້າໄປສູ່ສົງຄາມອິນໂດຈີນຄັ້ງທີ່ສອງ ເຮັດໃຫ້ລາວກ່າຍເປັນປະເທດທີ່ຖືກຖິ້ມລະເບີດຫຼາຍທີ່ສຸດໃນໂລກ. ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ ສົງຄາມໄດ້ສິ້ນສຸດລົງຫຼາຍກວ່າສີ່ທົດສະວັດກໍຕາມ, ລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກຍັງສືບຕໍ່ເຂັ່ນຂ້າພົລະເຮືອນ ແລະ ເຮັດໃຫ້ພວກເຂົາໄດ້ຮັບບາດເຈັບເປັນຈຳນວນຫຼາຍ. ໃນຫຼາຍໆແຂວງ, ລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກເປັນສິ່ງທ່ວງດຶງຕົ້ນຕໍສຳລັບການພັດທະນາເສດຖະກິດ-ສັງຄົມ ແລະ ອຸປະສັກສຳລັບປະຊາຊົນທ້ອງຖິ່ນໃນການຫາລ້ຽງຊີບ. ເປົ້າໝາຍຂອງບົດຄົ້ນຄ້ວານີ້ແມ່ນເພື່ອສຶກສາວິທີທີ່ປະຊາຊົນທ້ອງຖິ່ນພັດທະນາຍຸດທະສາດໃນການດຳລົງຊີວິດ ເພື່ອເອົາຕົວລອດໃນສະພາບແວດລ້ອມທີ່ອັນຕະລາຍຈາກມຸມມອງວິຖີຊີວິດແບບຍືນຍົງ. ບົດຄົ້ນຄວ້ານີ້ໃຫ້ເຫດຜົນວ່າການປັບປຸງຊີວິດການເປັນຢູ່ໃນແຂວງຊຽງຂວາງແມ່ນການພັດທະນາແບບເພິ່ງຕົນເອງເປັນຕົ້ນຕໍ. ລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກຍັງເປັນສິ່ງທ້າທາຍຕົ້ນຕໍ່ສຳລັບລັດຖະບານ ແລະ ປະຊາຊົນທ້ອງຖິ່ນໃນການບັນລຸວັດຖຸປະສົງຂອງການພັດທະນາ. ໃນເມື່ອງົບປະມານສຳລັບເກັບກູ້ລະເບີດມີຢູ່ຢ່າງຈຳກັດ, ການສຶກສາແມ່ນເຄື່ອງມືທີ່ສຳຄັນຫຼາຍໃນການປູກຈິດສຳນຶກກ່ຽວກັບຄວາມສ່ຽງຈາກລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກໃຫ້ແກ່ປະຊາຊົນທ້ອງຖິ່ນ. ການຄົ້ນຄ້ວາໃນຄັ້ງນີ້ສະເໜີວ່າຄວນມີການລະດົມຊັບພະຍາກອນເພີ່ມເຕີມເພື່ອແກ້ໄຂບັນຫາລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກ.

KEYWORDS:

• Thailand
• marriage
• emotion
• emotion work
• interaction
• anger
• romance
• guilt

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Raelene Wilding, two anonymous reviewers, and the journal’s Regional Editor for their useful feedback and comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at La Trobe University under the Post-doctoral Write-up Award Scheme.