Emotions across the Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels of Societies

Abstract

In this overview of emotions in sociology, the authors discuss how emotions are tied to the structures and cultures of the different levels of society. They first provide a brief history of the sociology of emotions, arguing that while early theorists considered emotions in their writings, the affective revolution in sociology did not take shape until the late 1900s. They then review the evolution of emotions in human history, noting how the early growth of the hominin brain increased the size of the subcortical structures that generate emotions. This helped forge social attachments and the development of social structures and cultures. The authors then review the macro, meso, and micro levels of societies, with attention to how emotions not only sustain social structures and culture (through positive emotions) but also threaten their viability (through negative emotions). They maintain that because micro-level interactions are embedded in meso-level structures and culture, and meso-level structures and culture are the building blocks of macro-level institutions and stratification systems, emotions at one level influence and are influenced by emotions at the other levels. Emotions flow through social structures and culture at all levels in society. The authors call for more theory and research in the sociology of emotions that evidences the embeddedness of emotions within and across the societal levels. They conclude by introducing the three chapters across the different levels of society for this volume.