EMOTIONS

 THE NATURE OF EMOTIONS

 A complex or stirred-up state of the human being, in response to certain affectively toned experiences,
reflected both in external and internal bodily changes.
 Viewed not as a single entity but as a combined reaction of a person (involving physiological changes,
observable changes in behavior, subjective experiences and cognition)
 Comes from the Latin word “emovere” meaning “to move out” which conveys the idea of an outward
expression of something inside.
 At birth, the only distinguishable emotion is general excitement, but with the maturation and learning,
a diversity of emotions appear.
 3 ways in which these emotions vary: intensity, similarity, and polarity (Cofer and Fitzgerald, 1975:19).
 Intensity is shown by the distinction between grief and sadness, fear and panic, or annoyance and
fury; degree of similarity such as joy and love; and polarity in terms of joy from sadness, or love is to
hate.
 For a hundred years psychologists have attempted to define emotion scientifically. The result is no
one neither definition nor agreement on what emotion really is.
 The closest we get is emotion is a distinct psychological state that involves subjective
experience, physical arousal, and a behavioral response.

 ASPECTS OF EMOTIONS

To measure and identify emotional reactions, studies in psychology have subjected its 6 important aspects
to analysis and investigation; namely:

1. Physiological changes in emotion

 Body arousal or various reactions throughout the body.
 Changes in the conditions of the internal organs, blood chemistry, and brain waves result from the
interaction of the receptors, muscles, and nervous mechanisms.

2. Observable changes in behavior

 Overt behavior such as facial expressions, vocal expressions, and bodily movements.

3. Subjective experiences in emotions

 Most obvious aspect of emotion is the feeling (affective states or the pleasant-unpleasant
dimension of emotions) that one experiences.
 Feeling of happiness, elation, fear, sadness or excitement.

4. Cognitions about the emotion and associated situation

 Interpretation with respect to our personal goals and well-being (I won the match and I feel happy.
or I failed the test and I feel depressed).
 known as a cognitive appraisal - helps determine the type and intensity of emotion we feel.

5. Reaction to the emotion

 Judgment being made about the world or situation
 Includes what to attend to and learn to (attend to event that fits our mood than to events that do
not), as well as how we evaluate and estimate people and objects at present and in the future.

6. Action tendencies
The typical action tendency in response to the feeling (aggression will likely result from anger).

 FUNCTIONS OF EMOTIONS
 1. Preparing us for action
 Act as link between outside environment and behavioral responses that an individual makes
 Considered stimuli that aid in development of effective responses to various situation

2. Shaping our future behavior

 Serves to promote learning of information that will assist us making appropriate responses in the
future
 Feeling of satisfaction is likely to reinforce behavior whereas unpleasant feeling is likely to be
avoided

3. Help us regulate our social interaction

 As emotions as communicated through verbal or nonverbal, behavior can act as signal to
observers
 Allowing others to understand what we are experiencing and predict our future behavior. Thus,
promoting effective and appropriate social interaction.

 CLASSIFICATIONS OF EMOTIONS

There are four broad classes of emotional reactions: fear, anger, grief and love.
However, this does not mean that there are only four emotions and thus deny the existence of other emotional
states.

1. FEAR
 One of the most troublesome of all emotional reactions.
 Associated with bodily sensations dues to the activation of the autonomic nervous system.
 Common and prominent physical manifestations : pounding of the hear, sinking feeling in the
stomach, trembling and shaking, weakness, faintness and tensions
 Basic characteristic: the individual is not ready to react adequately which may be attributed to the
lack of technique for dealing successfully with a feared situation.
 Fear of a specific object or situation may have been acquired through conditioning.

2. ANGER
 A primary occasion is when a goal-seeking activity is hindered.
 Attacking is a possible reaction.
 It begins as an emotional accompaniment of something else
 It can be misdirected. If the aggression aroused by frustration cannot be directed against the
situation itself, it mat be displaced and vented upon a substitute.

3. DEPRESSIVE REACTIONS or GRIEF

 Situations are similar to those that produce anger.
 The major difference is that there is more of the element of finality is depressive states rather than
in an anger situation.

4. LOVE
 Mainly involves a focusing of strong positive feelings on a person.
 It can have a sexual desire as an important component, although people can feel love without the
sexual element.
 It can be displaced from its original object and transferred to substitute or symbolic objects.
 Young men may fall in love with women who resemble their mothers or vice versa.
 With infants, love grows from their relationship with their parents.
 Love between individuals of the opposite sex has, through the ages, been often characterized by
a disruption in the behavior.
  In the Law courts and newspapers, we see ample evidence that the emotion of love is
disorganizing. But not all aspects of love can be harmful.
 Sometimes, it is the cause of failure in an exam, a missed important meeting, lost friendship, or
quarrel with parents.

 THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF EMOTIONS

Emotions, as we have seen, involve complex and intricate relationships between body, mind, and
behavior. A number of viewpoints about the nature of emotions have emerged over the years, yet there
is no single, integrating, comprehensive theory which has relevance to all its aspects.

 2 Major Classifications

1. Classical Viewpoints

A. JAMES-LANGE THEORY
 Founded in the late nineteenth century, by 2 psychologists, WILLIAM JAMES, a famous American
philosopher and psychologist and CARL G. LANGE, a Danish physiologist and psychologist.
 According to this theory, we perceive a situation and then give our reaction and holds that
physiological responses rise to our cognitive experience of emotion.
 An emotional experience follows a sequence of “stimulus-bodily response-awareness. (“We are
sad because we cried”) Our body responds to a perception of an event before we experience the
emotion:

Feedback from bodily

Perception of Activation of responses to the
emotion-producing visceral and brain, producing
stimulus skeletal responses experience of emotion

 The feelings are a consequence of behavior.

 This theory is important because of the emphasis it placed upon bodily changes as a vital aspect
of emotion.

B. CANNON-BARD THEORY {hypothalamic theory}

 A rival theory as an objection to the James-Lange theory
 Presented by WALTER B. CANNON and was later elaborated by L. BARD, his student.
  The “hypothalamus”, which is part of the brain’s central core, has the central role in emotion.
 This theory proposes that the hypothalamus is the “seat of emotions” and that, in response to a
stimulus from the outside, the hypothalamus sent impulses to both the cortex and viscera; the
experience of emotion coincide with the arousal produced.

Processing of Messages to cortex

Perception of stimulus by the produce experience
emotion-producing hypothalamus of emotion
stimulus which
simultaneously
send messages to
the cortex and Messages from
other parts of the hypothalamus
body activate visceral and
skeletal responses

C. COGNITIVE THEORY OF EMOTION

 Emphasized by Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer

 They theorized that our perception of our emotional state is influenced by our interpretation of the
situation as well as by physiology, which is reflected by the James-Lange Theory.
 In emphasizing the role of the brain in interpreting and labeling emotional experiences, they reflect
the Cannon-Bard Theory.
 This theory is illustrated by Hilgard (1983) as information integration:

COGNITIVE FACTORS STIMULUS FACTORS

Inputs to brain from
Memory of past experiences and external stimuli impinging
appraisal of current situations on the sensory system
give rise to additional
information inputs

Inputs to brain from internal Conscious experience of emotion

organs and skeletal muscles Integration of input from 3
sources

2. Recent Theoretical Approaches

A. Activation Theory of Emotion {Lindsey}

  Holds that emotion is associated with the activity of the reticular activating system (RAS) which is
part of the brain stem
 A continuum is seen to exist from coma and sleep at the low end of the scale, through waking and
attentive behaviors
 This continuum reflects the degree to which we are activated to action.

B. Arousal-Cognition Theory
 can be interpreted by a person as joy or anger, or any other emotional state, depending on the
situation.
 It assumes that there is only one kind of physical excitement or arousal, but the various states of
arousal are labeled according to our knowledge or cognition of the emotion-producing situation.
 It suggests that the problem of emotion is essentially one of labeling
.
C. Theory of Limbic Functions
 First drawn by Papez in 1937 and elaborated later by Paul McLean in 1958.
 They view that the regions of the limbic system are intricately involved in our emotional experience
and behavior.
 It holds that while the cerebral cortex is engaged in intellectual interpretation in terms of verbal and
related symbols, the limbic system makes the interpretation in terms of emotional feeling that goes
with sensation arising from the internal organs of the body; hence, it plays a vital role in emotional
experience (Sartin, 1973:331).

 EMOTIONAL CONTROL

Emotional control does not mean inhibition or repression of our emotions. Rather, it means directing
and managing emotional experiences such that they will not have negative consequences. Achieving
emotional control is one indication of emotional maturity.

To achieve emotional control, Guilford (1964:192-194) gives the following suggestions:

1. Avoid emotion-provoking situations. Emotional responses are caused by stimuli. If a child is

exposed to harrowing stories or exciting movies on TV, he will have less chances of putting his
emotions under control. At best, children should be exposed to these in small doses.

2. Change the emotion-provoking situations. Attitudes may be changed, as in making friends

out of enemies. Hate may turn into love. Sometimes, removal of the source of the emotion may
help.

3. Increase skills for coping with the situation. Many emotions arise because of inadequacy or
inability to achieve goals promptly. These can be prevented by development of the necessary
skills and abilities to cope with the situation. Over-protected children develop feelings of
inadequacy or inferiority. Systematic practice in the arts of conversation, social dancing and other
activities will develop the individual’s social personality. Efforts should be directed toward
development of self-confidence and independence.

4. Re-interpret the situation. Sometimes the oversensitive type of person needs to analyze the
actions and words of others. He has to be convinced that his fears are groundless. Helping him
achieve his goal will build his ego and restore his self-confidence.

5. Keep working toward your goal. It is natural for people to meet difficulties in the solution of
problems. Helping the person realize that problem-solving involves trial and error will keep him
 emotionally sound. Encourage the individual to keep working towards his goal. A few wrong
steps should not deter him from reaching his goals.

6. Find substitute outlets. Substitute goals may give temporary relief. They may not solve the
emotional problem, but they may lessen the tension. Teach the individual to sublimate desires
and goals.

7. Develop a sense of humor. Laughter often solves an emotional problem to satisfaction. The
person who has a good sense of humor makes light of tensions. The emotionally mature person
should be able to laugh at himself and his follies. He should be able to laugh off his tensions.

Reference:

Bustos, et.al. (1999). Introduction to Psychology. 3rd ed.

Katha Publishing

Gaerlan, Josefina. et.al. General Psychology, 5th edition.

Philippines: Ken, Incorporated. 2000.