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Emotional Release

"Boys don't cry." Like people of many other cultures, Americans feel that some emotions should not be displayed. So do the Toraja of Indonesia (Wellenkamp, 1995), but with an important exception. The Toraja live in isolated, rural areas of a mountainous peninsula, and continue to practice their traditional religion and medicine. Most of the time, the Toraja work hard to maintain a sense of calm, and keep "quiet." They believe that emotions directly affect physical health. Any person who mulls over an upsetting thought could be at risk: angry school teachers often get tuberculosis, and sorrowing mourners may die if they cry and wail too much. In fact, it is a friend's duty at a funeral to distract mourners with small talk, so they will not think too much about the person who has died. However, people who are already sick are free to express themselves. In fact, the traditional response to illness is to interrogate patients, to find out what "mistakes" they made to cause their own distress.