Definition of Emotion and Theories

Definition of Emotion

• Emotion is an internal, mental state representing evaluative reactions to events, agents, or objects.
• Emotions are generally short-lived and intense, directed at external stimuli.
• Emotions are different from moods, which set the emotional stage.
• Emotions are associated with reactions and behaviors.
• Components of emotion include:
  • Cognitive appraisal or evaluation of a situation.
  • Physiological component of arousal.
  • A subjective feeling state.
  • Action tendency (motor expression/behavior).
  • Object or target.

Types of Emotion Theories

• Sensation/physiological theories focus on the experience of emotion (e.g., arousal).
• Behavioral theories focus on observable actions (e.g., facial expressions).
• Evaluative theories connect emotions to evaluative beliefs (e.g., emotions as providing information about situations).
• Cognitive theories propose that emotions arise from beliefs or thoughts about the environment (e.g., appraisal theories).

Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory

• Emotions arise from appraisals (evaluations) of interactions with the world.
• Key principle: cognitive appraisals (evaluations) and "core relational themes" (relationships between the person and their environment based on appraisals).
• Two levels of appraisal:
  • Primary appraisal: assessing goal relevance and goal congruence.
  • Secondary appraisal: assessing how well the situation can be handled.

Thoughts Prior to Emotions

• Thoughts (ego-involvement) inform how an event relates to one's identity, beliefs, and values.
• Secondary appraisal involves evaluating coping potential in relation to goals.

Script Theory

• Emotions are components in a complex interaction, amplifying emotional experience.
• Scripts act as emotional habits triggered by signals associated with specific events; these are linked to situations.
• These scripts shape our emotional responses to similar future situations.

Communicative Theory

• How are goal priorities assigned?
• Emotions communicate priorities to self and others.
• Emotional experience is based on cognitive evaluation, shaping responses and behavior.

Fridja's Laws of Emotions

• Emotion elicitation (laws 1-4): how emotions are triggered by meaningful events.
• Emotion persistence (laws 5-8): why emotions persist even after events.
• Emotion regulation (laws 9-12): how emotions are managed (e.g., minimizing negative emotion, maximizing positive emotion).

Brain Processes in Emotion

• The brain processes emotions through steps: detecting, interpreting, and regulating feelings.
• Brain structures involved in emotional experiences:
  • Amygdala (processes emotion-related memories).
  • Hippocampus (stores situational memory).
  • Thalamus (sensory relay center).
  • Prefrontal Cortex (regulates emotions and links emotions to memories).

Emotional Hijacking

• Intense emotion can disrupt rational thought.
• Amygdala triggers a "fight or flight" response before the prefrontal cortex can process the situation.

Somatic Marker Hypothesis

• Bodily sensations (somatic markers) can assist in decision-making.
• Positive and negative markers: based on experience and learning.
• Allows us to quickly assess situations based on previous experiences.

Relationship Between Reasoned Decision-Making and Emotion

• Emotions are essential for rational decisions. Emotional learning helps us determine good versus bad choices.
• Brain hemispheric specialization (left vs. right prefrontal cortex) influences approach and withdrawal emotions.

Distinctiveness of Facial Expressions of Emotion

• Facial expressions are primary ways specific emotions are communicated nonverbally.
• Some expressions (e.g., disgust, sadness) are universally understood across cultures.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• Our facial expressions can influence our emotional experience.

Self-Perception Theory

• People may infer their emotions by observing their own behavior.

Mayer & Salovey's 4 branches of Emotional Intelligence

• Emotion perception and identification.
• Emotional facilitation and integration.
• Emotional understanding.
• Emotional management.

Alexithymia

• Difficulty identifying, describing, and expressing emotions.
• Weakness in linking emotions and language.

Empathy vs. Sympathy

• Empathy involves understanding and sharing another person's feelings.
• Sympathy is feeling concern for another person's situation without sharing the emotions.

Attunement & Mirroring

• Attunement: recognizing another's emotional experience and responding appropriately.
• Mirroring: matching another's emotions, potentially leading to emotional contagion.

Emotional Contagion

• Tendency to mimic and synchronize emotions and behaviors with others.

Emotion Management

• Strategies for managing emotions or responses to them.

Fear vs. Anxiety

• Fear: immediate, physical threat.
• Anxiety: uncertain, existential threat.

Social Anxiety

• Feelings of nervousness, self-consciousness, uncertainty, or dread during interactions with others.

Anger Expression

• Anger is often associated with frustration, aggression, and communication problems.
• Unjustified, intentional, and avoidable situations are more likely to trigger anger than those not.