I view emotional responses to be authentic, and sincere displays of one's self/character.
Spoken like a true ENFP.
I just wanted to chime in that most of the responses so far have not just been NT, but INTX. And except for CaptainC, respondants all introverted.
Since this is a cross-type forum, just wanted to point out the obvious disclaimer that it's good to have other POVs to shake things up.
I can understand why an NT and especially INT would be suspicious, bewildered, or even look
down on an emotional response. Because it's not how you naturally re/act and you're honestly at a loss for how to respond.
But I think regardless of type, your comfort level with other's emotional displays is directly and proportionally related to your comfort level with
your own emotions.
So if you feel out of touch, uncomfortable, disdainful, etc. of your own emotions or displays thereof, of course this is reflected in what you think of other people's emotions and emotional displays.
And I know this was not the intent of some posters and I'm not trying to start some F/T 'black or white' diatribe (before it's been done before) but it does alarm me when I see a lot of INTX jump on the 'people who cry are weak/ emotional displays are manipulation! / superior people should be able to deal with things completely detached and without emotion etc.
Particularly b/c real life doesn't work like that and the more discomfort you have with emotions, the more discomfort
you and rough patches you are going to have in your relationships and lives in general. Human beings are throughly emotional and irrational but they are also comfortingly predictable that way. There's method to the madness!
And since forums (including this) have a large concentration of INTXs --- yeah, just trying to give some other flava.
Emotional displays are reminders of that wild human unknown factor, the 'sea inside'. It reminds you that you can 'know' people and never know them. That's why you have protocols in business and school, basically any large gathering place of people to separate their 'real selves' from their roles.
And so yeah, if I saw a person in a leadership role with social standing -- say a principal of a school get psycho angry and curse at another teacher or student, yeah I'd be embarassed for them. But more for the loss of face and 'failure' on their part to uphold their role. It's not because of the emotional display itself per sae.
Anyhow, sharing a bit of your humanity in the form of emotions DOES place an expectation on other people. What that expectation is depends largely on the perception of the one observing and yeah, you may be annoyed by feeling a burden has been placed on you. Especially if you feel the emotional display implies or necessitates a moment of intimacy that you do NOT want to share with the other person.
Anywhoo, I'm similar to CaptainC. Emotional displays in themselves don't embarass me.
Grief makes me uncomfortable, but only because I'm not sure what my role is supposed to be and what the boundaries should be.