Session: 6

Understanding
Emotion

Key Concepts
What

are emotions, and how do

we experience them?
What are the functions of
emotions?
What are the explanations for
emotions?
How does nonverbal behavior
relate to the expression of
emotions?

IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT

Happiness

Fear
Sadness
Surprise
Disgust

WHAT ARE
EMOTIONS

DEFINITION OF EMOTION
Emotion

is a complex
psychological phenomenon
which occurs as animals or
people live their lives.
It is Intense feeling that are
directed at someone or
something

EMOTIONS INCLUDE THREE

THINGS
Conscious

experience

(feelings)
Expressions which can be
seen by others
Actions of the body
('physiological arousal')

Emotion:
More Than a Feeling
A feeling state involving a pattern of facial and
bodily changes, cognitive appraisals, and beliefs.

Physiologica
l Changes
(in body and
facial
muscles)

Cultural
Influences
Emotion

Cognitive Processes
(interpreting the emotional
situation)

(shape
experience and
expression of
emotion)

The Functions of Emotions

1- Preparing us for Action
Emotions act as a link between
events in our environment and our
responses.
Example: If you saw an angry dog
charging toward you, your
emotional reaction (fear) would be
associated with physiological
arousal of the sympathetic division
of the autonomic nervous system,
the activation of the fight-orflight response.

The Functions of Emotions

2. Shaping our future behavior
Emotions promote learning that
will help us make appropriate
responses in the future.
For instance, your emotional
response to unpleasant events
teaches you to avoid similar
circumstances in the future.

The Functions of Emotions

3. Helping us interact more
effectively with others
We often communicate the emotions
we experience through our verbal and
nonverbal behaviors, making our
emotions obvious to observers.
These behaviors can act as a signal to
observers, allowing them to understand
better what we are experiencing and to
help them predict our future behavior.

Emotional Expressions
I dont think its a good idea What a face. I think he needs to
to talk now. She looks like
find something to do. He looks .
she is feeling

Angry

Bored

Emotional Expressions
Maybe I should explain
things more clearly because
she looks

Confused

That group of boys are being

horrible and they are making
the boy sat down feel ------

Embarrassed

Emotional Expressions
I think her best friend
have come at once. She
looks

Excited

Something isnt going right for

someone. She is getting

Frustrated

Emotional Expressions
I wonder what his mum will
say? I wonder if hes
feeling ?

Guilty

Wow this looks fun. Both

the boys look

Happy

Emotional Expressions
I think he wants to be
picked. He is looking----

Hopeful

I think that the boy on the

left wishes he had that top.
He looks like he is feeling ---

Jealous

Emotional Expressions
The other girls wont let
her join in. She is feeling
.

Left out

Look at this bundle of

loveliness. This baby is feeling
..

Loved

Emotional Expressions
Oh dear I wonder what
has happened. They both
look ..

Sad

I think theyve been watching

horror films. They both look
.

Scared

Emotional Expressions
I think he has the weight on
his shoulders. He looks

Worried

Did something just happen

that he wasnt expecting. He
looks .

Surprised

CATEGORIES OF EMOTION
EMOTIONS

ARE DIVIDED INTO

TWO MAIN CATEGORIES

PRIMARY

EMOTIONS
SECONDARY EMOTIONS

PRIMARY EMOTIONS
The

primary human emotion types are

the one triggered in response to an
event

LOVE
JOY
ANGER
SADNESS
SURPRISE
FEAR

Secondary emotion
If

we experience fear , the

secondary emotions would be :
feeling threatened or feel anger ,
depending on the situation we are
experiencing.

SECONDARY EMOTIONS
PASSION
OPTIMISM
IRRITATION
DISGUST
SHAME
NERVOUSNESS

HUMAN EMOTION
Human

emotion is innate in all of

us; its something were born with
and something we die with.

Happiness,

sadness, love, hatred,

worries, and indifference these
are things that constantly occur
in our daily lives.

VARIETY OF EMOTIONS
POSITIVE

HUMAN EMOTION

NEGATIVE

HUMAN EMOTION

Positive emotion
Positive

emotions that lead one to

feel good about ones self will lead to
an emotionally happy and satisfied
result.

POSITIVE HUMAN
EMOTION
SOME OF THE POSITIVE EMOTIONS
ARE
HOPEFUL
CONFIDENT
PEACEFUL

Negative emotion
Negative

emotions sap your energy

and undermine your effectiveness. In
the negative emotional state, you find
the lack of desire to do anything.

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
SOME OF THE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
ARE
EXHAUSTED
PANIC
OBNOXIOUS

FACTORS
AFFECTING
EMOTIONS

PERSONALITY

CULTURE

WEATHER

STRESS

AGE

GENDER

ENVIROMENT

How we
perceive
emotion

How we perceive emotion

Body posture
The way we hold our bodies
when we walk, stand and sit
gives cues to others about our
emotional state.

How we perceive emotion

Posture

clues them in to how

relaxed or tense we are and how
confident or shy we are.

Depending

on how close we're

standing to another person, it can
also show aggression or love,
dominance or submission.

Speech Patterns
We

may choose our words

carefully when we're angry or
expressing happiness.

Our

emotions cause us not only

to feel differently, but also to
speak differently

Speech Patterns
Our speech patterns also change
depending on our emotional state

our

regular cadence can increase

or decrease in rate, and pitch,
tone, volume and our inflection
and even accent may also be
affected.

Gestures
Gestures

take on different
meanings in different cultures.
gesturing in general is one way
humans communicate emotion to
each other nonverbally.

Facial expressions

Our

facial muscles -- there are 44 of them

-- are able to communicate important
nonverbal messages in a split second,

anger,

contempt, disgust, fear,

happiness, sadness and surprise
seem to be seven universal facial
expressions that all humans
unconsciously recognize and
interpret

Physiological Cues
Our

emotions are accompanied

by subtle physiological change

subtle flush of the face or

increase in heart rate or body
temperature could be a clue to
the emotional state of the person
you're talking to.

THEORIES OF
EMOTIONS

Common Sense Theory of Emotion

In the common sense theory of emotion, a stimulus (snarling

dog) leads to an emotion of fear, which then leads to bodily
arousal (in this case, indicated by shaking) through the
autonomic nervous system (ANS)

James-Lange theory of
emotion
It states that
emotions occur as a result of
physiological reactions to events.
proposes

that you will interpret

your physical reactions and
conclude that you are frightened.

For

example I am trembling,
therefore I am afraid.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

In the James-Lange theory of emotion, a

stimulus leads to bodily arousal first, which
is then interpreted as an emotion

Cannon-Bard theory of
emotion
It states that
we react to a stimulus and
experience the associated
emotion at the same time.
we

feel emotions and experience

physiological reactions such as
sweating, trembling and muscle
tension simultaneously.

For example: I see a snake --> I am

afraid --> I begin to tremble.

Cannon-Bard Theory of Stimulus First

response Second response Emotion

In the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, a stimulus leads to

activity in the brain, which then sends signals to arouse the
body and interpret the emotion at the same time

Theories of Emotion
The Schachter Two Factor Theory of
Emotions
The major problem with the theories
explaining emotions is that they fail to
take into account cognitive side of emotion
In this theory autonomic arousal is still a
critical determinant of emotional
experience (factor1). But equally
important is the cognitive appraisal or
interpretation of that arousal when it
occurs

Theories of Emotion
The Schachter Two Factor Theory of
Emotions
An intense body reaction may be necessary for
full experience of an emotion, but it is not
sufficient. It is how you interpret the arousal that
ultimately determines your subjective emotion
You are afraid when you face an out of control
truck but not because your body is aroused but
also your mind understands that source of
reaction is dangerous. You label the arousal and
thereby determine the emotion that is
experience

Schachter-Singer Cognitive
Arousal Theory of Emotion

Schachter and Singers cognitive arousal theory is similar to the James-Lange theory but
adds the element of cognitive labeling of the arousal. In this theory, a stimulus leads to
both bodily arousal and the labeling of that arousal (based on the surrounding context),
which leads to the experience and labeling of the emotional reaction

The Schachter and Singer Experiment: Volunteer subjects were injected with
a drug that produced psychological arousal symptoms. Half of the subjects
were informed about the drug effects, half of them were not. When placed in
a room with either a euphoric or an angry accomplice . Only the uniformed
subjects adopted the mood of accomplice. Informed subjects interpreted their
arousal symptoms to drug. Whereas uninformed subjects interpreted the

Theories of Emotion
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Facial muscles send messages to
the brain that both identify the
emotion we are feeling and
intensify it.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis: Even the forced alteration of a persons facial

experience can change the persons experience of emotion. The women on
the left ( smiling because of the pen in the mouth) will more likely to report
happy than woman on the right.

Facial Feedback Theory of

Emotion

In the facial feedback theory of emotion, a stimulus such as

this snarling dog causes arousal and a facial expression. The
facial expression then provides feedback to the brain about the
emotion. The brain then interprets the emotion and may also
intensify it.

Theories of Emotion
Lazarus Cognitive Theory
Based on a cognitive appraisal, we
decide if the situation is positive,
negative, or neutral. A positive or
negative appraisal triggers both
physiological arousal and the feeling
of an emotion.

Lazaruss Cognitive- Mediational

Theory

In Lazaruss cognitive-mediational theory of emotion, a

stimulus causes an immediate appraisal (e.g., The dog is
snarling and not behind a fence, so this is dangerous). The
cognitive appraisal results in an emotional response, which is
then followed by the appropriate bodily response

Comparison of Theories of Emotion

Comparison of Theories of Emotion