Psychology of Emotion Final

• self-conscious

  • self-awareness

  • self-representation

  • self-worth

• complex social goals

• complex cognition(?)

core features of self-conscious emotions (SCE

In the lectures on the the PFC, I showed the class studies where subjects were asked to suppress their feelings. When they did imaging showed a negative correlation between the PFC and the amygdala, as if it was calming the amygdala down… suppressing it. (star)

In Shiota-Neurobiology of Emo Reg describes similar research that we discussed when describing the PFC

detached reappraisal

ignoring the emotional aspects of a situation and think about nonemotional details and implications.

humor-based reappraisal

Making a joke about the situation

alcohol, other drugs, exercise

external factors/activities that can be used to purposively adjust one’s feelings.

Shame: more about the self

Embarrassment: the other is more about one’s actions/nonactions.

difference between shame and embarrassment

It is assumed and understood that self-conscious emotions involve some unconscious internal analyses of the self in relation to others. Research shows that children are more likely to show these effects if they are old enough to identify themselves in a mirror (as a test of self-awareness.. Social emotions develop from this period in child’s life (2-4 y depending)

What is the relationship between self-awareness and the self-conscious emotions and how do they develop?

social conscious emotions

complex emotions that involve self-evaluation and social context, such as guilt, shame, and pride

basic emotions

\\primal responses like happiness, sadness, and anger, which are universally recognized.

Tracy & Robins suggest:

• Maybe complex expressions go with complex emotions?

• Maybe need to express through language rather than visually?

• Maybe not adaptive at times, maybe need to regulate outward expression more than BE

why do SCE have fewer consistent facial expressions?

• Biological basis easier to hypothesize for BE than for SE

• Weaker evidence of universality

• More cultural diversity in antecedents, subjective experience, & consequences

• Easier (?) to induce BE in lab than SE (e.g., pics, films)

• Ethical issues in inducing shame such that all would feel it…

why might it be more difficult to research SCE than basic emotions?

shame

involves feelings that whole person is bad or worthless after failure.

guilt

more of a focus on a specific behavior (or nonbehavior) as bad, hurtful

shame

• When do something wrong AND “know” others negatively evaluated you

• When have deficits, failures, flaws exposed (fear of exposure)

guilt

When do something morally wrong AND negatively evaluate self

embarrassment

Some type of fail involving self-evaluation

involves feelings that whole person is bad or worthless after failure.

likely antecedents of shame

more of a focus on a specific behavior as bad, hurtful

likely antecedents of guilt

• Actor fails to live up to cultural standard

• Must be aware of the failure

• Must be aware of others’ knowledge of failure

3 components of shame

• Negative feelings we want to avoid; Being rejected and shunned

• Threatens status; Lowers mating chances

• Shame activates the stress response

• Thus, we refrain from committing acts against society (or against others)

• Shame activates the stress response (Dickerson & Kemeny 2004)

proposed functions of shame

• Punishes mistakes; motivates repairing of social relations!

• Repentance; Forgiveness – feeling bad and seeking repair

• Guilty people (usually) wish to make amends for their transgressions

proposed functions of guilt

• Negative feelings we want to avoid; Being rejected and shunned

• Threatens status; Lowers mating chances

• Shame activates the stress response (Dickerson & Kemeny 2004)

proposed functions of shame

• Social Mistakes (Faux Pas)

• Sticky Situations

  • One must do something which will discredit the performance of someone else in the interaction

• Center of Attention

types of triggers for embarrassment

blush and smiling

embarrassment’s relatively unique experessioin

• externally oriented

• brief, surge of emotion

• social signal

why might embarrassment have a more distinct expression than shame and guilt?

threat’s to one relationship

antecedent of jealousy (star)

jealousy

Belief that a real or potential relationship is threatened by “another”

jealousy

involves 3 people and corresponds to the feelings aroused when one person fears losing a special relationship to a rival.

• Evolved monitoring mechanism to maintain relationships that involve parental investment

functions of jealousy

• Men should be more threatened by female partner having sex, thus higher sexual jealousy.

• Evolutionary argument: Men’s reproductive success linked to their ability to impregnate multiple women

evolution of jealousy

antecedents of envy

envy

Belief that another individual has something that he/she wants but does not have

Malicious envy

Want the person to lose ‘item’ (and suffer)

Nonmalicious envy

Wanting ‘item’ but not wanting person to lose it

sexual jealousy

Emotional response to perceived threat of losing a romantic partner to a rival., usually thought to be experienced by men

emotional jealousy

A form of jealousy where an individual feels threatened by the emotional bond their partner has with someone else, often leading to feelings of insecurity and fear of abandonment, often thought to be experienced by women

Because there seem to be obvious and direct relations between jealousy and evolutionary arguments concerning differences in how men and women reproduce and gain reproductive success (passing on one’s genes to next generation).. 

why have evolutionary psychologists conducted much research on these two forms of jealousy? (star)

drives one to either pull oneself up to match the goal of the other person, or pull that person down (so they no longer have what one wants). 

what does envy do for humans

schadenfreude

is the pleasure derived from another person's misfortune, often reflecting feelings of superiority or resentment.

Suggested we feel schadenfreude for people we envy (maliciously).

Smith suggested that…

more

Undeservingness is ______ important for Schadenfreude than Envy

envy

appears to be more restricted to social comparisons involving advantage and disadvantage

authentic pride

Satisfaction from meeting one’s goals

hubris

Pride with arrogant narcissistic connotations

There is a timeframe issue. Is each emotion regulated or is it the case that regulation occurs less frequently when the context calls for it.

problem of defining emotion regulation

• denial

• repression

• fantasy

• projection

• suppression

Freud’s ego defense mechanisms

denial

refusing to acknowledge reality

repression

blocking/forgetting memory

fantasy

daydreaming to fulfill desires

projection

attributing one’s unacceptable feelings/motives to another

suppression

conscious/deliberate decision not to think about issue/feelings

Gross’ process model of emotion regulation

A framework describing how individuals manage their emotional experiences through various strategies such as situation selection, modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation.

Gross’ model of emotional regulation

situation selection → situation modification → attentional deployment → cognitive change→ response modulation

Gross’ model of emotional regulation

antecedent-focused factors (Gross’ Process Model)

ways in which we attempt to regulate our emotions before we have an emotional response

response-focused factors (Gross’ Process Model)

ways we try to regulate emotion after the response has occurred

• selecting situations you wish to be in

  • accident coping, perseverance, forecasting outcomes

• modifying the situation you are in

  • problem-solving, seeking social support, conflict resolution

situational factors (antecedent-focused)

attentional deployment

how individuals direct their attention within a given situation to influence their emotions

-brace one’s self

-distraction

-focus on positive

-mindfulness

-rumination

factors of attentional deployment

cognitive changes

changing how we appraise the situation we are in to alter the emotional significance

• acceptance

• denial

• humor

• reappraisal

• threat or challenge appraisal

cognitive changes examples

response-focused

occurs after response initiated, refers to directly influencing experiential, behavioral, or physiological components of the emotional response

active coping (the term “coping” is limited to negative situations where one is trying to reduce distress)

altering the situation to facilitate the desired emotion state; involves being engaged in the situation. Trying to have control of a situation real or imagined (sometimes).

• Films eliciting disgust, try to mask expression.

  • Two groups:

    • Half just watched the amputation film.

    • Half asked to suppress their expressive behavior

• SHOWED

  • Compared to the no-suppression group, the suppression group showed:

    • expressions of disgust, overall body movement

      ­ blinking, BP, and SC (Skin Conductance)

      NO affect on the intensity of felt disgust

      before film onset, ­ SC (preparing to suppress)

• RESULTs

  • Suppression requires Effort (­ SNS)

  • Some leakage

  • Suppression NOT effective for decreasing subjective experience  (at least disgust)

  • BUT in a follow-up study: inhibiting one’s expression did ↓ feeling of joy

Gross & Levenson disgust experiment

the benefits of suppressing one’s feelings over reappraisal

may include temporary relief from emotional expression but can lead to negative outcomes such as increased physiological arousal and decreased emotional awareness. In contrast, reappraisal typically fosters greater emotional regulation and resilience

positive reappraisal

strategy of focusing on positive aspects of negative or challenging situations

resilience

recovering relatively easily from negative events

catharsis

the release of strong emotions by expressing them

social evaluation theory

the idea that individuals assess their own worth based on how they are perceived by others; involving loss of self-esteem

dramaturgical theory

a sociological perspective that views social interactions as performances, where individuals present themselves in specific ways to create desired impressions; Overt disruption of social performance, or an anticipation of such a disruption

social evaluation theory

suggests the main ingredient of embarrassment is concern for what others think of you, or how they might evaluate you based on your actions

dramaturgical theory

suggests that fumbled public performance are intrinsically aversion’ that a disruption of what one is doing causes one to lose control of how we present ourselves to others

Anger can serve as a signal of unmet needs or frustrations within a marriage, prompting communication and resolution efforts. However, if not managed properly, it can lead to conflict and emotional distance.

role of anger in marriage

• Regulated couples (42/73):

  • Both spouses had predominance of neutral or positive behaviors or features in the interaction

• Unregulated couples (31/73):

  • At least one spouse shows mostly negative behaviors or features during the conversation

how Gottman and Levenson categorized the couples

• Criticism

  • always finding fault

• Defensiveness

  • denying the criticism, giving excuses

• Contempt!

  • Having little regard for the other person

• Stonewalling

  • avoids dealing with issues, shutting person out

features of arguing that are best predictors of relationship failure aka 4 Horsemen

is contempt, which undermines respect and creates a toxic atmosphere.

According to Gottman, the most damaging emotion in marriage

lust

a strong sexual desire

love

a deep emotional connection and attachment

• passionate

• companionate

two main types of love usually accepted by most researchers

passionate love

• “Obsessive love”, “infatuation”, “being in love”

• Intense state of longing – requited or unrequited

companionate love

• “True love”, “mature love”

• Less intense, affection felt for others involved with – tends to be requited

limerence (a stage of passionate level)

intense early passion

Desire to know and be known by the other

Idealization of the other

Preoccupation with the person loved.

cognitive components of passionate love

Attraction, especially sexual attraction to the other

Desire for complete and permanent union

Longing for reciprocity

Negative feelings when things go awry

Physiological arousal

Positive feelings when things go well

emotional component of passionate love

• Assisting the other

• Attempting to determine the other’s feelings

• Maintaining physical closeness

• Studying the other person

behavioral component of passionate love

• Disclosing

• listening

cognitive components of companionate love

• Caring

• liking

• trust, but power to hurt

emotional components of companionate love

Comfortable in close physical proximity

behavioral components of companionate love

fades

passionate love ______ over time

remains high, but erodes

companionate love ________ over time

• last longer than all other emotions

some issues with calling ‘love’ and emotion

love is too complex to reflect a single emotion

why some researchers have trouble classifying love as an emotion

• some psychologists consider it a lasting attitude or affective disposition toward a particular individual

• a script, or culturally learned set of expectations about events, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

what is love if not an emotion

includes brain imaging studies showing activation in areas associated with attachment and reward, rather than typical emotional responses

• love uses motivational circuits rather than emotional ones

• tunes down amygdala

physiological evidence that suggests love is not a normal emotion

bonding, mating, etc.

what does love do for us?

how love functions

•Adhering to Social Norms!

–E.g., workplace – must often suppress negative feelings for managing impression

pro of suppression