Emotion

Emotion• Emotions- complex pattern of

changes including physiological, cognitive, and behavioral reactions, in response to a situation

Questions…1. Q- Are some emotional responses innate? •A- YES- fear & struggling 2. Q- Are emotional expressions universal?•A- Ekman- all people share overlap in facial language, esp for happiness, surprise, anger, disgust, fear, sadness & contempt

*not all expressions are universal & not all cultures express all emotions the

same way

Questions…3. Q- How does culture affect emotional expression?•A- Cultures est. rules for when people show certain emotions

- might be based on class in society (Africa)- hiring professional criers for funerals (Med.

and Near Eastern cultures) - different for individualistic and collectivist

cultures

Physiology of Emotion• What’s involved in emotion?1.Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)- releases

hormones, raises blood pressure and blood sugar, increase in sweat and salivation- research shows that different emotions show different patterns of autonomic activity

Physiology of Emotion2. Central Nervous System (CNS)- hypothalamus &

limbic system- amygdala- attaches significance to information it receives from the senses important in fear and anger- cortex- PET scans show areas of happiness & sadness in different parts of the cortex

3 Theories of Emotion1. James-Lange Theory: emotion comes from bodily feedback; perceiving a stimulus causes autonomic arousal leading to the experience of a specific emotion-stimulus arousal emotion

3 Theories of Emotion2. Cannon-Bard Theory: emotion stimulus produces 2 concurrent reactions, arousal & experience of emotion at the same time-The 2 reactions are independent of one another; one does not cause the other-stimulus arousal & emotion

3 Theories of Emotion3. Cognitive Appraisal Theory (aka Schachter-Singer Theory)- emotion is the joint effect of physiological arousal to discover what you are feeling, what emotion fits best, and what your reaction means in the particular setting-stimulus arousal label/appraisal

emotion

Why do we have emotions?A. They serve as a motivation function by arousing you to take action with regard to an event-They also direct & sustain your behaviors toward specific goals-If you have too much arousal or too little, it will impair your performance

Why do we have emotions?- Some tasks are better with high levels of arousal; other tasks are better with low level, key is task difficulty Yerkes-Dodson Law- performance of difficult tasks decreases as arousal increases, whereas performance of easy tasks increases as arousal increases

Why do we have emotions?B. They regulate social interactions

binding us to some, and repelling us from others- ex- you back off when someone shows anger, or draw close to someone when they are crying

Why do we have emotions?C. They influence the way you perceive

yourself & others and the way you interpret & remember life- emotional states can affect learning, memory, social judgments & creativity- ex- good mood = better creativity and problem solving

Why do we have emotions?- research is being conducted on memory & emotion we tend to remember events more clearly when they are tied to emotion

Stress• Stress- pattern of responses an

organism makes to events that disturb its equilibrium and strain or exceed its ability to cope

Stressed?• List stressors you are currently

dealing with• Is each stressor chronic or acute• Rank your stressors in order from

most stressful to least stressful• How do you tend to cope with stress?

Reactions to Stress• Major life changes are the root of

stress for many people- 1960’s: Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)- what do you think are the most stressful events?

Stress• Stressor- internal or external event that

induces stress; 2 types:1. Acute- transient with clear onset and offset patterns2. Chronic- continuous conditions in society and environment; demands are greater than resources available for dealing with them

Reactions to Stress• Physiological Reactions:

- fight-or-flight is a response to acute stress (involves hypothalamus pituitary stress hormones more nrg available)

Reactions to Stress- Women tend to use tend-and-befriend

where the stressor prompts females to protect offspring & join social groups to reduce vulnerability

- Both do not always fit with contemporary society

- All stressors call for adaptation an organism must regain homeostasis

Reactions to Stress• Response to stressors is General

Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)- proven valuable to explain psychosomatic disorders• Stages:1.Alarm Reaction- brief periods of bodily

arousal that prepare the body for vigorous activity

Reactions to Stress2. Resistance (if stress continues)- a

state of moderate arousal; organism can endure & resist further debilitating effects of prolonged stress- if the stressor is long-lasting/intense, body’s resources become depleted & it enters Stage 3

Reactions to Stress3. Exhaustion- can

effect the immune system

Reactions to Stress• Catastrophic and traumatic

events can lead to PTSD- anxiety disorder, characterized by re-experience of the traumatic event through memories, dreams & flashbacks

Reactions to Stress• Chronic stressors- endure over time

- ex- conditions in society, environment, overpopulation, crime, economic conditions, terrorism- frustration, conflict, pressure, & significant changes in your life

Reactions to Stress• How do chronic stressors affect

you? health problems, intellectual development• daily hassles- more frequent and

intense hassles are the poorer your health

Reactions to Stress- as daily hassles decrease, well-being increases, but you need to also consider positive events in your life as well