A man involved in a minor car accident becomes intensely distressed and remains so, out of all proportion to the event, for several weeks afterward, describing his own reaction as clearly excessive but unable to shift it; how he outwardly shows this distress is unremarkable. Before revealing the answer: is this an abnormal expression of emotion?
No, this is more consistent with an abnormal emotional reaction than an abnormal expression of emotion. The disturbance here lies in the intensity, duration, and proportionality of the feeling itself relative to the triggering event, with nothing unusual about how the feeling is outwardly shown, which is the territory of an abnormal emotional reaction rather than an abnormal expression of emotion.
References
- Casey, P. & Kelly, B. (2019). Fish's Clinical Psychopathology, 4th ed. Ch. 6, 'Disorders of Emotion'.