Understanding Emotion: Key Concepts and Theories

EMOTION

WHAT IS AN EMOTION?

  • Emotion: An immediate, specific response (positive or negative) to events or thoughts.

    • Physiological response

    • Examples: heart beating fast, sweating.

    • Behavioral response

    • Examples: eyes and mouth opening wide.

    • Subjective feelings: Differ from the emotion itself.

    • Example: stating "I’m scared" expresses a subjective feeling of fear.

EMOTION ≠ MOOD

  • Emotion

    • Immediate response.

    • Has an identifiable trigger.

    • Interrupts current activities.

  • Mood

    • Long-lasting emotional state.

    • Lacks identifiable trigger.

    • Influences thought and behavior with a vague sense of feeling.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EMOTIONS

  • Primary emotions

    • Innate, evolutionarily adaptive, and universal (shared across cultures).

  • Secondary emotions

    • Blends of primary emotions.

    • Examples: remorse, guilt, shame, jealousy.

  • Primary Emotions:

    • Anger

    • Fear

    • Sadness

    • Disgust

    • Happiness

    • Surprise

    • Contempt

CIRCUMPLEX MODEL

  • Emotions are plotted along two continuums:

    • Valence: Negative vs. Positive

    • Negative Affect: e.g., sad, depressed, lethargic.

    • Positive Affect: e.g., happy, excited, elated.

    • Arousal: Level of physiological response

    • High Arousal: e.g., excited, nervous, alert.

    • Low Arousal: e.g., calm, relaxed, fatigued.

  • Example:

    • Feeling excited is positively valenced and high arousal.

    • Depression is negatively valenced and low arousal.

PHYSIOLOGY OF EMOTIONS

  • Emotions involve the activation of the autonomic nervous system.

    • Purpose: To prepare the body for environmental challenges.

  • Research: Participants from various cultures colored body areas involved in specific emotions using a computer program.

3 MAJOR THEORIES OF EMOTION

COMMON SENSE

  • Stimulus: A threatening grizzly bear approaching.

  • Emotion: Fear.

  • Arousal: Physical reactions (e.g., heart pounding, trembling, sweating, running away).

JAMES-LANGE THEORY

  • Definition: The theory posits that individuals perceive specific patterns of bodily responses, resulting in the experience of emotion.

    • Example: “We feel sorry because we cry.”

  • Evidence for James-Lange Theory

    • Facial Feedback Hypothesis: Mimicking emotional facial expressions activates the corresponding emotion.

CANNON-BARD THEORY

  • Definition: This theory asserts that the mind quickly experiences emotions, whereas the body responds slower.

    • Information about emotional stimuli is sent simultaneously to the cortex and body, leading to concurrent emotional experiences and bodily reactions.

SCHACHTER-SINGER TWO-FACTOR THEORY

  • Definition: This theory combines aspects of both James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories.

    • The emotional experience results from a label applied to physiological arousal.

    • If the context is ambiguous, the perceived cause of emotion will determine how it is labeled.

WHY DO WE HAVE EMOTIONS?

EMOTIONS ARE ADAPTIVE

  • Purpose: Guide behaviors that enhance survival and reproduction.

    • Example: Instinctively run from the bear.

  • Communication: Emotions express feelings to others, demonstrating awareness of social rules and strengthening social bonds.

UNIVERSALITY OF EMOTIONS

  • Comparison of Darwin vs. Ekman.

  • Ekman et al. (1969) conducted research in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, and the United States.

    • Results: General support for cross-cultural agreement in recognizing certain facial expressions.

    • Strongest support: happiness. Weakest support: fear and disgust.

NON-VERBAL EMOTION EXPRESSION

  • Role: Functions as vital non-verbal communication.

  • Observations: Cross-cultural recognition of some facial and full-body expressions.

    • Mouth and eyes are particularly effective in conveying emotions.

    • Context can alter interpretation of expressions.

CULTURE AND EMOTIONS

  • Experience: Emotions are commonly felt worldwide, but expressions vary.

  • Display rules: Socialized rules dictating which emotions are appropriate in various situations.

  • Ideal affect: Emotional states that cultures value or aim to achieve.

    • Observed differences between Western and Eastern cultures regarding emotional expression.

FUNCTION OF EMOTION

  • Signalling inner states, moods, and needs.

  • Emotional expressions serve multiple social functions.

EMOTIONS STRENGTHEN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

  • Evolutionary Perspective: Group living enhanced survival; exclusion from groups reduced the likelihood of passing on genes.

  • Sensitivity to social exclusion is heightened, leading to careful navigation of social dynamics.

GUILT STRENGTHENS SOCIAL BONDS

  • Description: Guilt represents a negative emotional state associated with feelings of anxiety, tension, and agitation.

  • Common experience: Occurs when an individual feels responsible for another's negative emotional state.

  • Note: Excessive guilt can have adverse consequences, but some guilt fosters positive social interactions.

EMBARRASSMENT AND BLUSHING ACKNOWLEDGE SOCIAL AWKWARDNESS

  • Triggers: Occurs after breaking social norms, losing composure, or being teased.

  • Function: Like guilt, embarrassment can reaffirm close relationships after a social misstep.

MOTIVATION

  • Definition of Motivation: Motivation refers to the internal processes that energize, direct, and sustain an individual’s behavior towards achieving goals.

MOTIVATIONS ARE…

  • Energizing: Motivation activates behaviors.

    • Example: The desire to be fit motivates an individual to go for a morning run.

  • Directive: Motivation guides individuals toward specific goals or needs.

    • Example: Hunger motivates an individual to eat.

  • Persisting: Motivation encourages continued pursuit of goals.

    • Example: Feeling hungry persists until one eats.

  • Variable: The strength of motivation fluctuates based on psychological factors and external forces.

THEORIES

Drive-Reduction Theory (Hull, 1943)

  • Concept: Motivation arises from biological needs such as hunger and thirst.

    • Example: When an individual is hungry, they eat to alleviate discomfort.

  • Critique: The theory fails to explain why individuals seek excitement, as exemplified by skydiving.

Arousal Theory

  • Concept: People are motivated to seek an optimal level of arousal that is neither too low nor too high.

    • Example: One may prefer studying in complete silence, while another prefers background music; optimal arousal levels vary among individuals.

  • Yerkes-Dodson Law: This law states that moderate arousal is associated with the best performance.

Visualization of Yerkes-Dodson Law

  • Performance is affected by arousal levels:

    • High Performance under optimal arousal.

    • Low Performance when arousal is too low or too high.

WHAT ARE "NEEDS"?

  • Need Defined: A state of deficiency.

    • Types of Needs:

    • Biological

    • Social

    • Psychological

MASLOW’S NEED HIERARCHY

  • Need Hierarchy: Maslow's arrangement prioritizes needs, indicating that basic survival needs must be satisfied before higher-level needs can be addressed.

    • Self-Actualization: This is achieved when an individual's personal dreams and aspirations are fulfilled.

  • Critique of Maslow’s Hierarchy: Questions arise regarding its practicality and universality.

WE ARE MOTIVATED TO SATISFY NEEDS

  • Drive: A psychological state that leads to arousal, thus motivating an organism to satisfy a need.

    • Drives help maintain optimal levels of biological states.

  • Homeostasis: The tendency of bodily functions to maintain equilibrium.

WHAT DRIVES US?

  • Report Card:

    • Demonstrates how academic performances may indicate motivation levels in various subjects, like Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

WHAT DRIVES US? (Continued)

Extrinsic Motivation

  • Definition: Motivation to perform an activity driven by external goals or incentives.

    • Example: Working to receive a paycheck, studying to achieve good grades.

Intrinsic Motivation

  • Definition: Motivation derived from the inherent value or pleasure associated with an activity.

    • Example: Enjoying listening to music or studying purely out of curiosity.

EXTRINSIC VS. INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

  • Extrinsic Motivation: Influenced by outside forces (e.g., rules, incentives).

  • Intrinsic Motivation: Driven by internal forces (e.g., desires, curiosity).

  • Key Insight: Individuals can be motivated by both types of motivation.

WHEN TO USE EACH TYPE OF MOTIVATION

  • Situation: Learning a new skill for fun

    • Best Approach: Intrinsic (autonomy, curiosity)

  • Situation: Completing a boring but necessary task

    • Best Approach: Extrinsic (deadlines, rewards)

  • Situation: Encouraging long-term engagement

    • Best Approach: Intrinsic (purpose, mastery)

  • Situation: Getting started on a difficult task

    • Best Approach: Extrinsic first, then shift to intrinsic.

HOW CAN YOU USE MOTIVATION?

  • Self-efficacy: The expectation that efforts will lead to success.

  • Strategies for Utilizing Motivation:

    • Relate classes to personal interests.

    • Identify how classes will help achieve personal goals.

NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME MOTIVES

  • Achievement Motive: The desire to perform well relative to standards of excellence.

    • Example: An individual’s concern for obtaining high scores and achieving academic success.

  • Grit: The profound passion for goals and the willingness to work towards them despite facing hardships.

    • Example: An individual may not care about classes but is motivated to reach their dream job.

    • Significance: Grit can be more essential than intelligence for predicting the achievement of long-term goals.

SMART GOALS

  • Definition: Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

    • Key Questions:

    • What do you want to do?

    • How will you know when you've reached it?

    • Is it in your power to accomplish it?

    • Can you realistically achieve it?

    • When exactly do you want to accomplish it?