Emotions | Psychology Notes PDF

Emotions Emotions: a complex psychological state that involves: 1. physiological arousal 2. behavioral/expressive behaviors 3. conscious/subjective experience including thoughts and feelings The root of the word emotion is the Latin word “movere” which mea...

Emotions Emotions: a complex psychological state that involves: 1. physiological arousal 2. behavioral/expressive behaviors 3. conscious/subjective experience including thoughts and feelings The root of the word emotion is the Latin word “movere” which means “to move”. Emotions can move us to act, triggering motivated behavior. Emotions help us to set goals as well as be goals in themselves (maximizing positive emotions and minimizing negative ones). First proposed by Charles Darwin, facial expressions are believed to be innate and allow people to communicate with other other. Emotions are absorbed in the body in about six seconds. Emotions vs Moods Moods tend to be longer lasting, minutes, hours, and days. Emotions may only last seconds to minutes. Emotions are about something specific, such as person or situation. Moods are much more diffuse (spread out) with no identifiable object. This is why it’s easier to identify an emotional trigger but not the cause of a mood. Moods also do not have unique facial expressions as opposed to universal emotions. First to study emotion was Charles Darwin (1870’s) Evolutionary psychologists believe emotions are the product of evolution. They help us adapt to problems proposed by our environment. We are biologically prepared to learn fears that helped our ancestors survive. Fear: avoid potential danger. Love: seek a mate and care for offspring Anger: defend oneself But emotions go well beyond physical survival and guide individuals in all aspects of life. Most researchers agree there are a limited number of basic emotions, six of which include fear, surprise, anger, disgust, happiness/joy, sadness) for all humans in all cultures, however, the emotional experience can be complex. Emotions can overlap and result in mixed emotions. Emotions were most commonly classified according to two dimensions: 1. degree to which it is pleasant or unpleasant and 2. the level of activation or arousal associated with the emotion. Now considered to have a third dimension based on the emotional connection to other people. Interpersonal engagement: an emotion dimension reflecting the degree to which emotions involve other people.  Theories of Motivation 1. James-Lange Theory: your feelings follow your body's response. Our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physical responses to emotional arousing stimuli.  2. Cannon-Bard Theory: physical arousal and emotional experience occur simultaneously. The emotion-triggering stimulus is routed simultaneously to the brain's cortex (causing the subjective awareness of emotion) and to the sympathetic nervous system (causing the body's arousal). However, they believe you can experience emotion even without sympathetic nervous system arousal Cannon pointed out that bodily reactions are similar for many emotions, yet our subjective experience of various emotions is very different. 3. Two-factor theory: proposed by Schachter and Singer, to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal. 4. Cognitive-appraisal theory of emotions: the theory that emotional responses are triggered by cognitive evaluation. We can’t experience emotion unless we perceive a reason for it. However, unlike Schachter and Singer, you don’t need physical arousal to experience emotion.  Your present mood can significant affect the next emotional response. Spillover effect: the state you are in can determine the emotion experienced in the next situation.  Emotion and the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls our arousal. The sympathetic division releases stress hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine which increase the heart rate, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, etc. in times of emergency. The parasympathetic division inhibits further release of stress hormones, though arousal diminishes gradually since the hormones are already in the blood stream.  With emotion comes the Fight or Flight Response: an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. Triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, the adrenal glands release norepinephrine into the bloodstream. With flight, there is a burst of energy that leads to a response to perceived danger. These are immediate responses, and as a result, we feel stress, anger, etc. and choose to deal directly with the situation or avoid it, fight or flight. Emotional Intelligence: the capacity to understand and manage your own emotional experiences and to perceive, comprehend, and respond appropriately to the emotional responses of yourself and others.  The Cortex is the thinking part of the brain. The Amygdala is the emotional control center of the brain. Neural pathways are responsible for instinctual fear responses that occur when you perceive a threatening stimulus. When emotional reactions bypass the cortex and travel from the thalamus directly to the amygdala, (the thalamus-amygdala pathway) it causes an immediate emotional response. As a result, we react without thinking and emotions then rule our behavior.  Culture and Emotional Expression Facial expressions and physiological states are universal. The most universally understood way of expressing emotion is through facial expressions. People from all over the world are accurately able to identify each of the emotions being expressed. Facial expressions of emotion appear to be innate and universal, however, we are still able to exert control over our facial expressions. This suggests that the expression of emotion can be affected by culture and environmental factors. This is also considered to be connected to emotional intelligence. Unlike facial expressions, gestures are not universal and vary within different cultures. Gestures such as hand signs, winks, and head nods vary from culture to culture.  Nonverbal Communication Facial feedback hypothesis (effect): facial expressions of emotion can trigger or intensify the subjective experience of that emotion. Empathy and Facial Feedback: when we imitate another's expression, we are more likely to feel what they feel.  Experienced Emotion Fear, Anger and Happiness Amygdala: deep in the brain, plays a key roll in various emotions including fear. The output of the amygdala is the bodily symptoms of extreme fear, diarrhea, shortness of breath, etc. We are biologically prepared to learn fears that helped our ancestors to survive. Fear also comes from observational learning: learning through watching, not experiencing.  Anger Catharsis: emotional release Catharsis hypothesis: rather than aggression, do non-aggressive acts and can also reach catharsis. Can reach catharsis through both aggression and non-aggression. Best way to respond to anger is through emotional intelligence. Best response to anger is forgiveness.  Happiness Feel-good, do-good phenomenon: the happier you are, the more you do for others. The adaptation-level phenomenon: our tendency to form judgments relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experiences. Relative deprivation: the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself. Subjective well-being: refers to self-perceived happiness..