Emotion and Motivation

CHAPTER 10: EMOTION AND MOTIVATION

ALEJANDRO PEREZ

EMOTIONS

WHAT ARE EMOTIONS?
  • Definition:
    • Emotions are immediate, specific responses (either negative or positive) to environmental events or internal thoughts.

COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONS

Physiological Process
  • Definition:
    • Physical response to a stimulus, such as:
    • Increased heart rate
    • Sweating
Behavioral Response
  • Definition:
    • Observable responses to a stimulus, for example:
    • Widening of eyes
    • Mouth opening wide
Cognitive Appraisal
  • Definition:
    • Interpretation of bodily states, for example:
    • Thinking, "I’m scared!"

MOODS

Definition and Characteristics
  • Moods are diffuse, long-lasting emotional states.
    • Characteristics:
    • Do not have an identifiable trigger.
    • Often, individuals are unaware of why they feel that way.

INFLUENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON MOODS

  • Discussion Prompt:
    • Can your environment influence your mood?
    • What do you think?

THINK-PAIR-SHARE QUESTION

  • Scenario: Patrick wakes up to gloomy weather and remains in a negative state throughout the day, despite it being his birthday, until he discovers a surprise party.
  • Question:
    • How might Patrick's mood change, and what emotions might he experience?

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EMOTIONS

Primary Emotions
  • Definition:
    • Innate, evolutionarily adaptive, and universal across cultures.
    • Examples:
    • Anger
    • Fear
    • Sadness
    • Disgust
    • Happiness
    • Surprise
    • Contempt
Secondary Emotions
  • Definition:
    • Blends of primary emotions or feelings about emotions influenced by cultural values or concepts.
    • Examples:
    • Remorse, guilt, shame, jealousy, pride, love, contentment.
    • Combinations like:
      • Sadness and happiness
      • Anger and sadness
      • Anger and fear

EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION QUESTION

  • Scenario: Observing someone fidgeting, shaking a leg, and having darting eyes.
  • Question:
    • What emotion might this individual be experiencing, and is it a primary or secondary emotion?

GRADUATION EMOTIONS QUESTION

  • Scenario: At high school graduation, feelings of excitement and sadness emerge simultaneously.
  • Question:
    • Are these emotions primary or secondary?

CIRCUMPLEX MODEL OF EMOTIONS

Arousal and Valence
  • Arousal:
    • Refers to physiological activation (
      low to high).
  • Valence:
    • Refers to the positivity or negativity of emotions.

EXAMPLES OF EMOTIONS

  • Scenario:
    • Experience with a crush asking someone out.
    • Returning home after studying to find food spilled.
  • Question:
    • What valence and arousal might someone with depression experience?

THEORIES OF EMOTION

JAMES-LANGE THEORY

  • Process:
    • Stimulus ⟶ Arousal ⟶ Emotion:
    • Emotions arise from specific patterns of bodily responses before we feel the emotion.
    • Commonsensical view states that a stimulus directly leads to emotions, which then elicits physiological responses.
FACIAL FEEDBACK HYPOTHESIS
  • Definition:
    • Altering a person's facial expression can influence their emotional experience.

CANNON-BARD THEORY

  • Process:
    • Stimulus ⟶ Arousal & Emotion:
    • Emotion and physiological reactions occur independently but simultaneously.
    • Example: Upon seeing a bear, simultaneous signals are sent to the mind (emotion) and body (arousal).

SCHACHTER-SINGER TWO-FACTOR THEORY

  • Process:
    • Stimulus ⟶ Arousal ⟶ Attribution ⟶ Emotion:
    • Physiological changes occur and are cognitively labeled, influencing the emotional response.

APPLICATION OF THE THEORIES

  • Scenario: Walking in a park, hearing a yell, and seeing a dog running towards you.
  • Question:
    • Using James-Lange Theory, identify the stimuli, arousal, and emotion.

EMOTION CONTROL

Strategies for Regulating Emotions
  • Change the Meaning:
    • Reappraising events in neutral terms to alter emotional outcomes.
  • Create Mental Distance:
    • Adopting a detached perspective can temper strong emotions.
  • Find Humor:
    • Humor can increase positive emotional affect and stimulate neurotransmitter release (dopamine, endorphins, serotonin).
Refocus Attention
  • Distract Yourself:
    • Shift focus away from emotional elements of events to minimize reactions.
    • Consider mindfulness and breathing techniques to reduce physiological arousal in stressful situations.

COMMUNICATING EMOTIONS

Facial Expressions
  • Adaptiveness:
    • Emotions are communicated through facial expressions, such as smiles and frowns.
  • Cross-Cultural Variability:
    • Different cultures have unique expressions, but primary emotions like anger, fear, happiness, and surprise are universally recognized.
Display Rules
  • Definition:
    • Social norms dictate how and when emotions are displayed, often learned through socialization.
Ideal Affect
  • Definition:
    • Describes the types of emotions valued and encouraged by different cultures.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Relationships and Emotions
  • Guilt:
    • Affects interpersonal relationships by discouraging harmful actions and signifying care for others. It can also be used manipulatively.
  • Embarrassment:
    • Signal recognition of a wrongdoing and respect for cultural norms, often eliciting forgiveness in others.

MOTIVATION

Definition
  • Motivation:
    • A process that energizes, guides, and maintains behavior toward a goal.
    • Components:
    • Energizing:
      • Stimulates and causes action (e.g., desire for fitness leads to exercising).
    • Directive:
      • Guides behaviors toward fulfilling specific goals or needs (e.g., hunger leads to eating).
    • Strength:
      • Varies according to psychological factors and external influences. Persistent motives drive individuals until satisfied (e.g., hunger persists until food is consumed).

NEEDS

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
  • Origin: Proposed by Abraham Maslow, who organized human needs by importance.
  • Need Hierarchy:
    • Basic survival needs must be fulfilled before achieving higher-level needs.
  • Self-Actualization:
    • The achievement of personal aspirations and dreams.

DRIVE

Definition
  • Drive:
    • A psychological state causing arousal that motivates the satisfaction of needs.
  • Homeostasis:
    • The inherent tendency to maintain bodily equilibrium.

YERKES-DODSON LAW

  • Principle:
    • Performance on tasks improves with arousal only up to a moderate level, beyond which additional arousal hinders performance.
  • Optimal Arousal:
    • The optimal level of arousal varies by individual and does not impede performance.

INCENTIVES

Definition
  • Incentives:
    • External objects or goals that motivate behavior, as opposed to internal drives.
Types of Motivation
  • Extrinsic Motivation:
    • Directed toward an external goal, typically involving rewards.
  • Intrinsic Motivation:
    • Driven by the inherent pleasure or value derived from the activity itself.

QUESTIONS ON MOTIVATION

  • Scenario: Sally is motivated to sell products at her job for monetary gain but enjoys crocheting merely for pleasure.
  • Question:
    • What type of motivation is Sally expressing?
  • Scenario: Pamela refuses to sell her crocheting work due to her love for it, despite encouragement from friends.
  • Question:
    • What motivation does she demonstrate?

GOALS

Definition
  • Goals:
    • Specific targets influencing behaviors.
SMART Goals
  • SMART Criteria:
    • Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound; facilitates organization of larger tasks.
  • Self-Efficacy:
    • Expectation that efforts will lead to success, which in turn mobilizes energy and motivation.
Self-Regulation
  • Definition:
    • The process by which individuals control their behavior in the pursuit of their goals, often involving the postponement of immediate gratification in favor of long-term objectives.

CURRENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

Need to Belong Theory
  • Definition:
    • A fundamental motive driving individuals to create and maintain interpersonal connections for adaptive reasons, linked to enhanced reproduction and care for vulnerable individuals.
Balance Theory
  • Definition:
    • Individuals strive for harmony within their interpersonal relationships; a triadic relationship is considered balanced when all relationships reflect uniformity in direction or if two relationships are negative and one is positive.
Cognitive Dissonance
  • Definition:
    • The experience of discomfort arising from a conflict between beliefs or between a belief and behavior, leading to an unpleasant tension state.