Attitudes about expressing anger vary from culture to culture. In some cultures, almost any sign of anger is inappropriate. In others, people use anger as a way of extending 1 . Finnish people believe that expressions of anger show a lack of 2 . This attitude can make them seem 3 . For example, road rage is a problem in many countries, but not in Finland. There, experts say, 4 doesn"t make people angry. The drivers politely exchange information and then 5 . And no one complains when a bus 6 . The passengers simply get off and wait for the next one.
Such behavior 7 in the United States where expressing anger is accepted—even expected. The problem occurs when people from cultures 8 visit countries where it is not. For example, if an American visiting England 9 in a tone of voice that would be effective at home, no one would 10 . They would see him as just another 11 . This is because the English usually avoid showing anger unless the situation is 12 .
Avoidance of public anger is also 13 . The expression of anger is unacceptable and destructive. This attitude is very 14 the one in the United States, where many people believe that not expressing anger can 15 , alcoholism, drug addiction, or even violence. In countries that don"t express anger, most people would think this idea was 16 .
However, in some other cultures, anger is more lightly received and 17 than in the United States. Americans traveling 18 or some Mediterranean countries are often surprised by the amount of anger they see and hear. They 19 that people in these countries express their anger and then forget it. Even people who are 20 of the anger usually do not remember it for long.