The Thai trait of mock anger
I've been impressed with how Thai people deal with their children. Instead of getting angry, they often use mock anger : the mother will use an obviously artificial high tone in her voice, without injecting any real anger. The child then knows that it is out of line and that this is a warning.
The thing is that real nastiness and confrontation is avoided and everyone can often have a laugh about it all if the child (or adult) gets the message and backs off their behaviour.
My wife uses this with me sometimes and things work out fine. I think it's a sophisticated means of dealing with interpersonal problems, because it takes a straddle between real anger and just letting it all go without reacting.
What do other members think ? Any stories to tell about it ?
And how many other cultures use this ???