Emotional display rules in Russian and Azerbaijani cultures

Abstract

Two versions of Matsumoto’s DRAI (Display Rule Assessment Inventory) and Pankratova’s Russia modification of this technique are described including possible ways of the analysis of raw data. Comparison of the most general DRAI indices obtained in Russian and Azerbaijani cultures showed that (1) Azerbaijanis display their emotions less compared to Russians (both in the private and public context), (2) Azerbaijanis use various strategies to hide their true emotions and it holds to any emotion, whereas Russians display all emotions except contempt and disgust, and (3) Azerbaijanis display more negative emotions in the out-group (towards an acquaintance), whereas Russians display more negative emotions in the in-group (towards a close friend). The results correspond to the evidence about the relationship between individualism-collectivism and the level of emotional expressivity obtained in Matsumoto’s cross-cultural studies.