Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
How emotions, relationships, and culture constitute each other: advances in social functionalist theory
Dacher Keltner1, Disa Sauter2, Jessica L Tracy3
1Psychology Department, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Social Functionalist Theory (SFT) emerged 20 years ago to orient emotion science to the social nature of emotion. Here we expand upon SFT and make the case for how emotions, relationships, and culture constitute one another. First, we posit that emotions enable the individual to meet six "relational needs" within social interactions: security, commitment, status, trust, fairness, and belongingness. Building upon this new theorising, we detail four principles concerning emotional experience, cognition, expression, and the cultural archiving of emotion. We conclude by considering the bidirectional influences between culture, relationships, and emotion, outlining areas of future inquiry.
Related Concept Videos
Role of Emotions in Social Life
The Role of Culture
Social Exchange Theory
Impact of Social Context on Individuals
Functionalism
James envisioned psychology's...
Social Relationships and Well-Being

