How much do we show of what we feel?
Emotions are part of every working relationship. They can influence how we respond to situations, connect with others and make sense of what is happening around us. What differs is not whether people have emotions, but how comfortable they are with showing them and how they interpret emotional expression in others.
Some people are comfortable expressing enthusiasm, frustration, concern or disagreement openly. For them, showing emotion can be a natural part of communication and relationship building. Others may prefer to keep emotions more private and believe that professional situations call for greater emotional restraint. For them, staying composed can be a way of showing respect, consideration or professionalism.
Neither approach is inherently better. The important question is what people expect from each other when emotions become part of an interaction.
Two different preferences
At one end of this dimension is a more exteriorised approach to expressing emotions. Feelings may be visible in words, tone of voice, facial expressions or gestures. Showing enthusiasm, disappointment or concern can be seen as a natural and meaningful part of communication.
At the other end is a more interiorised approach. People may prefer to keep emotions more private and maintain a calm or restrained outward expression, particularly in professional situations. Emotional control can be seen as a way of creating stability and keeping attention on the issue at hand.
These are not two fixed types of people. Someone may express emotions openly in one setting and be much more restrained in another. The dimension helps make visible how we tend to express and interpret emotions and what expectations may follow from that preference.
What might this look like at work?
The difference can become visible in many everyday situations.
In a meeting, one person may openly show enthusiasm about an idea or frustration about a problem, while another remains composed even when they feel strongly about the same issue.
When giving feedback, someone may use warmth and visible concern to make the message personal and engaging, while another may prefer a more measured approach and focus primarily on the content.
When something goes wrong, one colleague may immediately express concern or disappointment and want to discuss what happened, while another may first need time to process the situation and return to it later.
The same pattern can appear when celebrating success, responding to change or dealing with pressure. What matters is not simply how much emotion people show, but what they believe emotional expression means in a professional relationship.
When preferences meet
Different expectations can easily lead to misinterpretation.
Someone who is comfortable expressing emotions openly may experience a more restrained colleague as distant, uninterested or difficult to read. The more interiorised colleague may experience the same person as overly emotional, unpredictable or insufficiently professional.
Both may be responding appropriately from their own perspective. One person may see visible emotion as a sign of authenticity and involvement. Another may see emotional restraint as a sign of professionalism and respect. Neither interpretation necessarily tells the whole story.
From awareness to intercultural skills
The Interiorised ↔ Exteriorised dimension helps make visible something that can easily be misunderstood: the way people express emotions is influenced not only by personality, but also by expectations about relationships, professionalism and appropriate behaviour.
Recognising these differences is a first step. The real intercultural skill develops when we can use that awareness in our everyday interactions: when giving feedback, responding to pressure, celebrating success, addressing concerns or navigating difficult conversations.
The goal is not to become more expressive or more restrained. It is to recognise what the situation requires, understand how others may interpret emotional expression differently and choose how to respond.
Helpful generalisations — not labels
The Interiorised ↔ Exteriorised dimension describes possible preferences in how people express and interpret emotions. It does not tell us how someone will behave in every situation, nor does it determine how emotionally engaged or professional someone is.
Every professional operates within different relationships, teams and organisational contexts. The value of this dimension lies not in placing people on one side of a scale, but in opening a conversation about how we show what we feel, how others may interpret it differently and what we need from one another to work effectively together.
How does this work within your team?
The Mazzi-Inc. Cultural Profiler makes cultural preferences visible that may influence how people communicate, collaborate, give feedback and respond to situations at work.