Feeling Rules

“It is better to give than to receive,” is a quote heard during the holidays meaning it is better to give some one a gift than it is to receive a gift. Hochschild describes feeling rules and the importance of them in today’s society. She claims that one way a society attempts to control people is through feeling rules that uphold broad social values and structures (pg174). The slogan “It is better to give than to receive,” is a motivated slogan used to get people to purchase items during the holidays. In addition, it reenforces the altruistic ideology structured into today’s American society. It is acceptable feel to good giving someone a gift and not receive anything other than a “Thank you” in return. However, is it better to give someone else the promotion instead of receiving that promotion yourself? Of course not, if you are qualified to make more money, why would you give that up simply because “It is better to give than to receive.” If we were to continuously try to abide by this altruistic slogan we would have nothing at all for ourselves. Imagine everything that you receive you give away to someone else because it is better to do that. The end result would eventually be death. Feeling rules are very powerful and if not used correctly can be devastating to a society.