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Botteling up emotion is the worst thing we currently have in the western consus of a society.

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I was shocked by the extremity of your views

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That actually made me reread my own post. And I guess some things I say come across as pretty cold. So I'll make an effort to make it as clear as possible what I mean.
1. I'm not a loner. I love humans and I feel great in a crowd. Emotions are a perfectly normal thing for everybody and thus one should normally not make an effort to supress them. Crying is one perfectly natural way of dealin with emotions, therefore crying is nothing "weak" or something "condemnable".

Now this is where my point lies.
2. While I say that crying is a natural reaction it is most certainly a sign of weakness (again in my opinion, and as Phoenix noted "weakness" may be too strong a word) if done in certain situations.
First let's define crying:
Crying is the natural reaction to very strong emotions. They can be either sadness, hapiness, you name it. So by crying you'll show my sourrdings that I'm currently in a situation I can't handle.

Now some people may be perfectly fine with showing that they're helpless, while others would be embarresed to no end. Both would react like this for various reasons which range from stupid (peer preassure, attention) to perfectly acceptable (they simply can't help it/ what I'll be trying to explain now).
If we can agree that "crying" will most certainly be a sign of a individuals inability to deal with the situation, then you have my reason why I say crying is a "weakness" as I said in "2.".

Now why would it be desireable to supress something that is natural? In my opinion it lies in the principle of the thing. As I already stated previously I'm convinced that people should be strong (meaning they should do their best to be strong). Strong mentaly. I'm not saying this because I'm some kind of fashist freak/have a superority complex or stuff like that. I'm saying this because being strong has several benefits for yourself and your surroundings.
Crying is the easy way out. That's why I don't like it. Of course the asian influences have been pretty omnipresent in my life but this issue is far more to me than "just" about "losing face".
It's about your ability to controle yourself.
And I believe humans should do their best to be strong. Always taking the easy way out is not something that'll get you anywhere in life.

In "1." I said that one should "normally" not make an effort to cry. By that mean that one shouldn't cry:
1. While you're being an example to somebody (this is arguable and depends on who you're being a example for)
2. In public
3. In front of "enemies" (people who want to make you cry/ who want to hurt you in one way or another)
4. In front of friends (this is a very personal view. Most certainly crying in front of your friends is nothing to be ashamed of since they're you're friends. But I still wouldn't do it simply to not make them worry about me and pity me)

Now Joonas was nice enough to make me realize a mistake I made earlier:

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(as you just said botteling it up till you're home and then letting it out is not something I'd consider weakness)

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That was idiotic of course. What I ment to say was that you shouldn't cry at all. Pull yourself together get home and there you deal with your emotions by yourself or someone else(in my opinion everybody should be able to do this, but aparently I'm too optimistic). Should one not be able to deal with the supressed emotions and suddenly start crying I think that's perfectly fine, because one tried to deal with it before you chose to cry. It's the will and effort to prevent yourself from crying that counts. And I'm convinced that with enough mental strength everybody can succed in doing so.

@GG

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Am I right in supposing that they're still expected to maintain their composure, regardless of their inner turmoil?

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You're right in so far that I exspect everybody to keep their composure. Your problems concern you and only you alone. But I simply don't know enough about "depression" to give you a decent answer. Eventhough I don't want to believe it I'm reasonable enough to not judge depressed people by the same standards I judge "not-depressed" people.
I'm convinced though that depression isn't some sort of sickness you can't do anything against. Getting "depressed" is afterall a long process and a number of factors will trigger a depression. There isn't ONE thing that'll make you go depressed. And if we see depression as a chain of events leading to the big break down then I'd consider them weak. Why? Because they didn't do anything to break the chain. They didn't try to controle themselves, seek professional help, talk to friends, whatever it is you can do to stop the development. The fact that they'd simply let the stuff happen would be what I'd consider weak.

I understand that there are unfortunate individuals who fail despite the efforts that they've made to prevent themselves from failing. Those are by all means not weak but simply unfortunate (sorry I don't know a better word do describe it).

And yeah sorry if I was repeating myself from time to time but it was more or less just to make myself clear this time.

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I guess the answer is that society is evil, and that it is good at hurting itself.
If children would be taught to properly cry out, they would have suffered less.

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Botteling up emotion is the worst thing we currently have in the western consus of a society.

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Worse than murder?

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I guess the answer is that society is evil, and that it is good at hurting itself.
If children would be taught to properly cry out, they would have suffered less.

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Actually, the less you give in to negative emotions, such as anger or sadness, the less you are affected or feel the urge to display this emotion.

Also, this is something that links back to evolution. You have more chances of survival, if you don't show when you're in distress or in a weak position.

But what do I know I have stunted emotions, anyway

EDIT: I also agree with azagal on this. Hoorah, 19th century mentality!

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With people you have a positive relationship, however, controlling deep emotions is never a good idea. Not in the medium and long run, at least. In situations of helplessness, when crying is indeed a signal of an inability to cope, leaning on friends and kin is obviously the only way out - hiding that doesn't stand to gain.

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That in today's society, it is considered weak to show pity, sorrow, depression or remorse?

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With people you have a positive relationship, however, controlling deep emotions is never a good idea. Not in the medium and long run, at least. In situations of helplessness, when crying is indeed a signal of an inability to cope, leaning on friends and kin is obviously the only way out - hiding that doesn't stand to gain.

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Actually, "sad" is widely considered to be an undesirable and unpleasant emotion and shouldn't really be encouraged. Suffice it to say, but displays of extreme, negative emotions can put a strain on a relationship, definitely, if it is prolonged.

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First of all, crying is not necessary a sign of an inability to handle the situation. Not at all. Crying, is first and foremost a sign for an emotional overload one way or another, for an overwhelming emotional tide wave. Also it has nothing to do with "taking an easy way out". Never underestimate the ability of a crying person to do what is necessary.

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With people you have a positive relationship, however, controlling deep emotions is never a good idea. Not in the medium and long run, at least. In situations of helplessness, when crying is indeed a signal of an inability to cope, leaning on friends and kin is obviously the only way out - hiding that doesn't stand to gain.

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If you can't share negatives, why share positives?

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