Psychology: Theories of Emotion

Emotion

• Emotion is a temporary state involving subjective experiences, physiological activity, and action tendencies.
• Two dimensions of emotion:
  • Valence: positivity of the feeling
  • Arousal: energy level of the feeling

Theories of Emotion

• James-Lange Theory: Emotions arise from the perception of physiological responses to a stimulus (feeling is a consequence, not a cause).
• Cannon-Bard Theory: Emotions and bodily arousal occur simultaneously and independently. Some emotional responses precede physiological reactions. Stimuli can cause bodily responses without necessarily creating an emotion.
• Two-Factor (Schachter-Singer) Theory: Stimuli trigger general physiological arousal, which is then interpreted as a specific emotion based on context (one physiological response can be interpreted differently based on situation).

Modern Research on Emotion

• Modern research partially supports aspects of the two-factor theory but contradicts other aspects.

Arousal and Performance

• Sympathetic Nervous System: Activates the body's "fight-or-flight" response, responsible for arousal.
• Yerkes-Dodson Law: Performance is optimal at a moderate level of arousal.
  • Simple tasks: High arousal can boost performance.
  • Complex tasks: Low arousal is better for focus and avoiding stress.

Polygraph

• A device measuring physiological responses believed to indicate lying.
• Measures heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and skin conductivity (sweating).
• Unreliable: Physiological responses can be caused by anxiety, not just deception.

Emotional Expression

• Emotional expression: Observable signs of emotion (facial expressions, tone, body language).
• Most powerful nonverbal means of conveying emotion: facial expressions (over 10,000 unique expressions).
• Display Rules: Social and cultural norms dictating how, when, and where emotions should be expressed.
  • Examples: Some cultures encourage public smiling, others discourage it in specific contexts.
• Facial Feedback Effect: Hypothesis that facial expressions directly influence emotional experience.
  • Example: Smiling can make you feel happier.

Motivation

• Motivation: Internal causes of purposeful behavior, driving needs and desires (e.g., hunger, social connection).
• Instinct: Natural tendency to seek a goal, hard-wired.
• Approach Motivation: Drive toward positive outcomes (rewards).
• Avoidance Motivation: Drive to avoid negative outcomes, often stronger than approach motivation.
• Drive-Reduction Theory: Organisms motivated to reduce internal drives (like hunger, thirst) to maintain equilibrium.
• Hedonic Principle: People seek pleasure and avoid pain.
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Prioritizes needs based on basic to complex requirements.
• Physiological needs > Safety needs > Social needs > Esteem needs > Self-actualization needs. Self-actualization is achieving one’s full potential—personal growth, creativity, and fulfilling purpose.

Hunger

• Hunger driven by body’s energy needs.
• Hypothalamus: Plays a key role in regulating hunger.
  • Lateral hypothalamus: Signals to turn hunger "on."
  • Ventromedial hypothalamus: Signals to turn hunger "off."
• Hormones like ghrelin (hunger) and leptin (satiety) also influence hunger.
• Psychological factors (stress, emotions), and cultural factors (food preferences, traditions) affect hunger.

Eating Disorders and Obesity

• Eating Disorders:
  • Binge-eating disorder (BED): Uncontrolled eating episodes.
  • Bulimia nervosa: Binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging).
  • Anorexia nervosa: Severe restriction of food.
• Obesity: BMI of 30 or higher; associated with health risks and social stigma.

Sexual Motivation

• Hormones (testosterone, estrogen) key drivers of sexual motivation.

Achievement Motivation

• Drive to excel, achieve goals, and overcome challenges.

Motivation Types

• Intrinsic Motivation: Internal rewards (satisfaction, enjoyment).
• Extrinsic Motivation: External rewards (money, recognition).
• Extrinsic rewards can sometimes undermine intrinsic motivation.

Terror Management Theory

• People are motivated to manage the fear of death by upholding cultural beliefs and pursuing self-esteem.

Explore the intriguing world of emotions through this quiz on major theories, including the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories. Understand the dimensions of emotions like valence and arousal alongside modern research insights. Test your knowledge on how emotions and physiological responses interact!