Teenagers of divorced parents in Malaysia: A study of emotional expression

Numerous emotions are expressed during a teenager’s life. The positive ones could help in developing his or her integrity while the negative ones could lead them into remorse. These contrasting emotional expressions also reflect on the kind of nurturing gained from their family. This study examined identify types of emotions that teenagers of divorced parents expressed, and the way they managed their emotions according to gender. The study employed a qualitative approach comprising in-depth interviews with five female and five male informants to identify the the negative and positive types of emotional feelings triggered by their situations and how these emotions were managed from a cultural perspective. The findings revealed that the females were more driven by positive emotions while the males leaned more towards negative emotions. Females also showed a tendency for dejected and takenaback emotions compared to males. Generally the informants managed their emotions by seeking comfort from their mother, peers and counsellors.