Emotion
• is a complex psychological
state that involves three
distinct components: a
subjective experience, a
physiological response, and a
behavioral or expressive
response
• (Hockenbury D. Hockenbury SE. Discovering
Psychology. Worth Publishers.)
Components of emotion
• Subjective Experience
• basic universal emotions that are experienced by people all over the world
regardless of background or culture, researchers also believe that
experiencing emotion can be highly subjective.
• Physiological Response
• physiological responses you experience during an emotion, such as sweaty
palms or a racing heartbeat, are regulated by the sympathetic nervous
system, a branch of the autonomic nervous system.
• Behavioral Response
• the actual expression of emotion
Theories of Emotions
• Evolutionary theory of emotion (Charles Darwin)
• suggests that emotions are adaptive to our environment and improve our
chances of survival.
• Examples:
• emotions like love are adaptive because they promote mating and reproduction.
• emotions like fear keep us safe from predators.
• The James-Lange theory of emotion
• physical changes in the body happen first, which then leads to the experience of
emotion.
• emotions stem from your interpretation of your physical sensations.
• For example, your heart beating wildly would lead you to realize that you are
afraid.
Theories of Emotions
• The Cannon-Bard theory
• refutes the James-Lange theory, asserting that people experience emotional
and physical responses at the same time.
• The Schachter-Singer theory
• is a cognitive theory of emotion that suggests our thoughts are actually
responsible for emotions.
• Similar to this theory is the cognitive appraisal theory.
• It posits that someone must first think before experiencing an emotion. For
instance, your brain judges a situation as threatening, and as a result, you
experience fear.
The Biology of Emotions
• The limbic system
• is the brain’s emotional circuit, which includes the amygdala and the
hippocampus.
• Play an important role in normal emotional processing as well as in
psychological mood and anxiety disorders.
• Increased amygdala activity is associated with learning to fear, and it is seen
in individuals who are at risk for or suffering from mood disorders.
• The volume of the hippocampus has been shown to be reduced in individuals
suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Facial Expression and Recognition of
Emotions
• The ability to produce and recognize facial expressions of emotions
seems to be universal regardless of cultural background.
• there are cultural display rules which influence how often and under
what circumstances various emotions can be expressed.
• Tone of voice and body language also serves as a means by which we
communicate information about our emotional states.
According to Plutchik’s wheel, the eight basic
emotions are:
• Joy
• Anger
• Love
• Fear
• Surprise
• Sadness
• Anticipation
• Disgust
8 Major Emotions
1. Happiness
Joy is a great thing to bring to the table when others can share the experience. But being happy all
the time can also leave you vulnerable. It’s best to look happy, but be on your guard at the same
time.
2. Anger
Control your anger and don’t let anger control you. It’s a normal emotion on the 8 emotions list. Just
make sure that you use anger to help yourself and not others.
3. Sadness
Think of the 80/20 ratio for a good balance between happiness and sadness. If you are sad too often
and people can see it, it doesn’t bode well. Be sad in your own time, and limit your sadness around
others.
4. Love
Love is an emotions that can’t be described, only felt. When you love someone else, you have an
unusual bond with them. Cherish the emotion and ride the good times as long as you can.
8 Major Emotions
• 5. Fear
Fear gets the best of all of us sometimes. Don’t let fear dictate your life though. Be in control
of even your most powerful emotions.
• 6. Surprise
Surprise can be good or bad depending on the situation. Make the most of your surprise by
over-exaggerating the emotion around people. It can be a funny emotion to share sometimes.
7. Disgust
Disgust is a negative emotion best left out of a conversation with people you just met.
However, like anger, it is effective to use in order to set boundaries.
8. Anticipation
Excitement is as natural as any other on the emotions list. True excitement comes around
every so often, so ride it out for as long as you can.
Say “Oh” in
different
emotions
