1830–1919 ∼ Tentative Expression of Emotions
Emotions are gender specific / Reason, not love, should determine marriages / Dolls’ wardrobes include mourning clothes and caskets (1870) / Women begin to express favorable opinions about sex but in moderation (1890s) / Sibling rivalry recognized as unhealthy (early 1900s) / Public display of grief is attacked (early 1900s) / Much death caused by WWI and the flu epidemic desensitizes people to death (1918–1919)
MILESTONES: Thousands of Indians die during forced relocation on the “trail of tears” (1831–1838) • First use of anesthetic (ether) on humans in the U.S. (1842) • Michigan abolishes capital punishment (1847) • Female moral reformers attack prostitution as product of male lust (1850s) • Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era; Edwardian era begins (1901) • Mammography developed to detect breast cancer (1913) • Child labor abuse made a federal crime (1916)
1920–1929 ∼ Milestones for Emotional Change
Ninety-two percent of college coeds engage in petting, and one third in sexual intercourse (1920s) / Gender bias is reduced /jealousy in children is regarded as unhealthy (1925) / Dying people are moved out of the home into hospitals/ Parents’ Magazine established for child-rearing advice (1927) / Mother-love is questioned /Controlling anger is regarded positively / Casting guilt on children falls out of favor / Boxing is regarded as a healthy sport for boys / Love and sex are considered mutual emotions / Consumer culture accepts envy / Open sexuality increases jealousy / Psychoanalysis becomes popular
MILESTONES: Flappers frequent speakeasies, smoke cigarettes and engage in promiscuous sexual activity • Welfare capitalism by businesses reduces the power of unions over workers • Hays Code restricts filmmakers from expressing violence and sexuality • First year women have the right to vote (1920) • Infant death rates fall by 20 percent (1920) • Mail order catalogues and magazines bring fashion awareness to every household (1925–1929) • Insulin shock is used to treat schizophrenia (1929) • 23,000 registered movie houses estimate l00 million admissions each week (1929)
1930–1945 ∼ Extreme Emotional Responses Discouraged
Righteous jealousy struck down as a defense for murder (1930s) / Superman emerges as the super cool hero (1930s) / Synthetic hormone diethylstilbestrol treats menopause symptoms (1939) / Expressions of anger discouraged in the workplace (1940s) / Violence is prevalent in films and literature (1940s) / Once considered inappropriate, swing dancing becomes an acceptable method of releasing wartime tension (1942–1945)
MILESTONES: Conservatives lash out against non-Protestants (1930s) • First psychoanalytic institute for training analysts opens in Boston (1930) • Under pressure, the movie industry enacts the Production Code, addressing crime, sex, vulgarity, obscenity, profanity, costumes, dancing, and religion (1930) • 1.5 million latex condoms are produced in the U.S.
