Lesson 10: Emotions

Attention

People often ask, “Do we really have control over our own emotions all the time?”  For example, if your partner insists that you go to a dinner party and you realize that you cannot stand some of the guests, are you able to “fake it” and pretend that you are happy to be there or does your facial expression give you away?  Why is it that, upon hearing the death of a loved one, some people become overwhelmed with emotion while others appear stoic or unaffected?  Can you make yourself happy? 

In this lesson, we will learn about some theories of emotional response and explore the physiological and biological approaches in explaining emotion.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Understand the connection between the brain and emotions
  • Explain the fear response and how fear affects behavior and emotional regulation
  • Define Emotional Intelligence
  • Explore definitions of "happiness"

Teaching

In her book, "My Stroke of Insight", which documents her own personal experience having a stroke, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor explains the role that emotions play in day to day experience very well...

"Sensory information streams in through our sensory systems and is immediately processed through our limbic system. By the time a message reaches our cerebral cortex for higher thinking, we have already placed a "feeling" upon how we view that stimulation -- is this pain or is this pleasure? Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think." (p. 19)

Emotions play an extremely important role in our day to day experiences...how we react to situations, how we control our emotions, and how we experience our emotional world is one of the most colorful and exciting aspects of our existence.

Theories of Emotion

  • James-Lange Theory
    • our brains interpret specific physiological changes as feelings or emotion and that there is a different physiological pattern underlying each emotion
  • Facial-Feedback Theory
    • the sensations for feedback from the movement of your facial muscles and skin are interpreted by your brain as different emotions
  • Cognitive Appraisal Theory
    • your interpretation or appraisal or thought or memory of a situation, object, or even can contribute to, or result in, you experiencing different emotional states

A "New" theory of Emotions?

Click HERE to review an article that outlines a "new" theory of emotions.
Click HERE to review a website that covers the "current" state of theories of emotion.

What do you think? Think before you read my comments below!

I have concerns about this "new thoery" as being no more than a combinatoin, or integration, of existing models under a single title.

The "new" theory comes across as SLIGHT a modification of cognitive appraisal models with the added notion that one of the factors that our cognition can evaluate is bodily states (James-Lange Theory and the Prinz model).

What might be in question is what consitutes a "cognitive event"...it is clear that we can perceive something wrong and become scared of it, only to find out we are wrong and don't need to be scared. Did we first THINK it was a scary thing and then our body reacted, or did our body react and then we interpreted this reaction as fear and assigned it to the stimulus?

One has to question that it is difficult to surmise that the body reacts to a visual stimulus without the central nervous system being involved. If we SEE something at a distance and have an emotion...one would assume the information went from the eyes to the cortex to the body...but could SOME stimuli be primarily processed at the brain stem level and thus be a different form of cognition?

Situation-Appraisal theories say we identify feeling-associated stimuli in our world and our brain reacts accordingly. When we see someone who LOOKS like our WIFE we will react as if it is really her (really, hun, that is what happened!!) :-)

Could some of these cognitions be really low on the brain hierarchy and occur below our awareness?

There is good work going on about gut reactions and instant appraisals that suggest that this process is very deep in our primitive brain (brain stem, and mid brain areas).

Thoughts?

Mark Kavanaugh

Functions of Emotions

  • Social signals
  • Survival, Attention, Memory (remember what we said about "false memories" and highly charged emotional situations)
  • Arousal and Motivation

Happiness

So...what makes you happy? What WOULD make you happy?

For many years the field of psychology has focused on developing a deep understanding of the dysfunctions of the human mind. Troubled minds and mental illness have dominated research in psychology for obvious reasons...people who are "well" do not need to see the "doctor"!

Dr. Martin Seligman, the Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, is leading the call to reshape the focus of psychology and include the study of "positive emotions, strength-based character, and healthy institutions" (http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx)

Conference Video on "Applying the Science of Positive Psychology"

International Positive Psychology Association

It is highly recommended that you take our course called "Positive Psychology" after you have completed PSY 101

Fear, what is it, and can I control it?


http://www.doctorhugo.org/paintings/drawings/fear.html

  • Review of article “Can Fear be Forgotten?” and the Atlas of Fear
  • Phobias, such a Arachniphobia, are common…treatment is usually a behavioral one called “Systematic Desensitization”
  • But what if you could obstruct the memory that created the phobia in the first place?
  • When it comes to fear, your thinking part of the brain is subordinate to the Amygdala
  • Amygdala brings up OLD MEMORIES when we are similar situations; however, the brain can be stimulated to
  • produce NEW MEMORIES instead, thus the old memories won't come up.
  • Consider this in terms of Trauma, PTSD, etc.

Emotional Intelligence

Psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman is the author of "Working With Emotional Intelligence". Goleman believes that I.Q. is not longer as valued as it once was as being an indicator of a person's success. Now it is Emotional Intelligence that has become the new yardstick. Emotional Intelligence refers to areas like self-awareness, empathy and social skills, and it is these qualities that employers are now looking for. (Originally aired February 1999)

 

Click HERE to view this video directly on YouTube

Assessment

Lesson 10 Discussion A

Based on what you learned about Emotional Intelligence in the video, describe your own personal "emotional intelligence" and how you think this trait has either helped or hindered you.

Lesson 10 Discussion B

People often ask, “Can money really buy happiness?”  While we all need a minimum number of resources to survive, is more always better?  Why or why not? (Please base your responses on what you have learned about emotion as well as your personal experiences).