Emotional Intelligence Notes

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

I. EMOTION

  • A complex psychophysiological experience involving:
    • Physiological arousal.
    • Expressive behaviors.
    • Conscious understanding.
  • A discrete response to external or internal stimuli, encompassing:
    • Subjective feelings (experience).
    • Physiological response (bodily reactions).
    • Motor expression (facial expression, body language, gestures).
    • Action tendency (motivational component).
    • Evaluation or appraisal (Scherer, 2000, 2005, as cited in Lempert & Phelps, 2016).
  • APA definition: A complex pattern of changes, including physiological arousal, feelings, cognitive processes, and behavioral reactions, in response to a personally significant situation.
  • Typically arises from positively or negatively valenced events.
  • Mood: A pervasive and sustained feeling tone that influences behavior and perception.

I.1 BIOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF EMOTION (PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL)

  • Involves the limbic system and autonomic responses (sympathetic and parasympathetic).
a. Sympathetic Nervous System (fight or flight)
  • Sends signals to the adrenal gland.
  • Physiological arousal increases, including:
    • Heart rate.
    • Respiratory rate.
    • Blood pressure.
    • Blood sugar levels.
    • Slower digestive processes.
    • Pupil dilation.
    • Elevated vital signs.
b. Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest)
  • Conserves body energy.
c. Limbic System
  • The amygdala is associated with emotions like fear and pleasure (Breiter et al., 1997; Davis & Whalen, 2001; Fanselow & Gale, 2003; Hurlemann et al., 2010; Ritchey et al., 2011).
    • Involved in facial expressions (Morris et al., 1998).
    • Damage to the amygdala impairs fear conditioning and recognition of emotions in facial expressions (Adolphs & Tranel, 2003; R. J. Davidson et al., 2000; Fanselow & Gale, 2003; LaBar et al., 1995).
  • Categorizes experiences as pleasant or unpleasant.
  • Controls emotional responses.
  • Regulates motivated behaviors including the four Fs of motivation: fleeing, feeding, fighting, and sexual behavior.

I.2 BEHAVIORAL COMPONENT OF EMOTION (EXPRESSIVE BEHAVIORS)

  • Emotions are expressed through:
    • Facial expression.
    • Bodily movement/action.
    • Posture.
    • Gesture.
  • Facial expressions communicate emotions and intentions.
    • Allow quick judgment of hostility or friendliness.
    • Are universal but can be misleading, exaggerated, or minimized.
a. Macro-expressions
  • Last 0.5 to 4 seconds, involving the whole face.
  • Not intended to hide, occur with family and close friends.
b. Micro-expressions
  • Brief expressions, as fast as 1/30 of a second.
  • Used to conceal emotions.

I.3 COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF EMOTION (LABELING)

  • Labeling or interpreting the subjective feeling.
  • Cognitive element: retrieving memories, perceiving context, and finding a solution.
  • In the absence of physiological arousal, individuals interpret events to determine their feelings.
Kinds of Appraisal
  • PRIMARY
    • Determines how goals are affected by an event.
    • Example: Person A may not care they didn't make the volleyball team while Person B may find it stressful.
  • SECONDARY
    • Determines how to cope with an event.
    • Example: Person A tries out for another sport, while Person B gives up on tryouts.

II. PURPOSE OF EMOTIONS

  • Guides us in facing predicaments and tasks (e.g., survival, reproductive success).
  • Each emotion provides a readiness to act (Goleman, 1995).

III. FUNCTIONS OF EMOTIONS

a. Preparing us for action
  • Emotions link environmental events and our responses.
  • Example: Fear response to an angry dog charging, activating the fight-or-flight response.
b. Shaping our future behavior
  • Emotions promote learning for future responses.
  • Unpleasant experiences teach avoidance.
c. Help us to regulate social interaction
  • Emotions communicated verbally and nonverbally signal our experiences and predict behavior.
d. Social Functions of Emotions

  • i. Affiliation Function

    • Seeking harmony, closeness, and love.
    • Social isolation leads to poorer health and inhibited development (Williams, 2001).
    • Emotions help maintain cooperative relations.

  • ii. Distancing Function

    • Avoiding threats, excelling above others, exerting control, enhancing social power.
    • Differentiates self or group from others (Brewer, 1991), competes for status/power.

  • Social dysfunctionality occurs if the social impact of emotions is ignored or appraisals of social contexts are inappropriate.

IV. ROBERT PLUTCHIK’S WHEEL OF EMOTION

a. Intensity
  • Intensity decreases outward, increases towards the center.
  • Darker shades indicate more intense emotions.
b. Polar Opposite
  • Joy/Sadness, Fear/Anger, Anticipation/Surprise.
c. Combinations
  • Complex emotions can be combinations of distinct feelings.

V. THEORIES OF EMOTIONS

Biological/Physiological Component of Emotion
  • Common Sense Theory: Stimulus -> Emotion -> Arousal (