Emotional Development in Lifespan Development

Definition of Emotion: A psychophysiological state of mind arising from interaction between an individual and their environment.
- Critical for social interaction and forming/severing bonds.
- Can be positive or negative in valence (e.g., surprise).
- Manifested in various forms: joy, fear, sadness, etc.
- Elicits different arousal levels, ranging from subdued to alert.
- Impacts physiological change, influencing behavior and thoughts.

Brain Regions: Key areas dedicated to emotional processing.
- Amygdala: Involved in emotion regulation.
- Frontal Lobe: Associated with decision making and emotional expression.
- Hippocampus: Important for memory and emotional responses.
  - right next to the amygdala
- Prefrontal lobe: plays a role in critical thinking
- Hypothalamus: influencing stress and mood
Physiological Systems: Connection between body and emotions.
- Sympathetic Nervous System: Activates the 'fight or flight' response.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System: Responsible for 'rest and digest' functions.
- Vagus Nerve: Regulates heart rate and emotional responses.

Developments in Emotional Skills:
- Grow in emotional expression capabilities.
- Better recognition of emotions, both personally and in others.
- Enhanced emotional control and regulation.
- Recognition of the impact of emotions on self and others.

experience or preprogrammed in our DNA
Criteria for understanding biological necessity of emotions:
- Must emerge early in life before extensive experience.
- Should be cross-cultural (universal).
- Each emotion has a distinct biological signature and potential facial expression.
  - examples in class was images of expressions of anger, surprised, disgust, fear, happy, and sad

Dominant Emotions in Infants:
- Crying: Signals sadness or discontent.
- there are different rhythmic patterns to convey different needs
  - Basic Cry: Rhythmic pattern addressing basic needs (hunger, tiredness).
  - Anger Cry: More intense with increased breath support.
  - Pain Cry: Loud and abrupt, mixed with holding breath.
- Smiling: An expression of happiness.
- Reflexive Smile: Present at birth.
- Social Smile: Develops with social stimuli.

Primary Emotions (age 3-6 months): Joy, anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust.
Self-conscious Emotions (age 1-2 years): Requires self-awareness.
- Include empathy, jealousy, embarrassment, pride, shame, guilt.
- note: Formation of emotional attachments begins.

Delay of Gratification/Marshmallow video; demonstrating growth and emotions happening as children learn to delay gratification and manage their impulses, which in turn influences their social interactions and emotional intelligence.
Greater complexity in emotional experiences.
Enhanced recognition of emotionally charged situations.
Improved understanding of others' emotions.
Increased ability to control emotions; however, variability exists.
Impact of excessive stress on future emotional health.

Increase in emotional range and complexity.
More frequent experiences of negative emotions due to physiological and social factors.
Improved recognition of own emotions and greater empathy for others.
Limited emotional control and regulation persists.

a lot of stability in our emotional growth in adulthood
Adults exhibit a broad spectrum of emotional skills.
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory: As individuals age, they prioritize positive social interactions and relationships.
- tend to have more and more control in our environment, where it gives more positive experiences and reinforces emotional well-being, ultimately leading to greater life satisfaction.