The relationship between emotion and habitus: An analysis in the context of Bourdieu's sociology of emotion

The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of habitus within the context of the transformation of the sociology of emotion into behavior and actions. This study, based on document analysis, a qualitative research method, evaluated both Bourdieu's works and the literature on the sociology of emotion. This study examined the transformation of emotions into behavior within the context of Bourdieu's fundamental concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Emotion stands out as a concept studied from both psychological and sociological perspectives. This is crucial as it demonstrates the multidimensional nature of this concept. While emotions are transformed into individual practice, they are also significantly nourished by social relationships and social processes. While the reflections of emotions on humans are personal, the way they emerge and are expressed is social. People are born into a preexisting social, cultural, and historical heritage. Consequently, they somehow adopt the values of this society. Bourdieu defines this process with the concept of habitus. Habitus refers to the totality of habits and attitudes acquired by people within the context of the social environment in which they grow up. Just as individuals acquire behaviors and tendencies, they also acquire emotions and create emotional acts. In this context, emotions become a sociological component of behavior. Indeed, Bourdieu conducted numerous practical studies in the field within this framework. Emotions vary from society to society according to their social and cultural structures. This reveals the sociological structure of emotions. Furthermore, emotions differ not only from society to society but also among different social classes within the same society in terms of how they are felt and expressed. Consequently, emotion emerges within the framework of variables within the social sphere.