Theories of emotion

theories of emotion

1. THEORIES OF EMOTION DR. R.G. ENOCH

2. Emotion Physiology of emotion Theories of emotion Conclusion

3. EMOTION It is derived from a Latin word “ emovere ” meaning ‘ to stir up ’ or ‘to agitate ’ It is an affective experience that accompanies generalized inner adjustment and mental and physiological stirred up states in the individual and that shows itself in his overt behavior.

4. PHYSIOLOGY OF EMOTION Emotion has 2 components Physical reaction Conscious experience or feeling Emotion is controlled by Endocrine glands Autonomic nervous system Brain

5. Endocrine glands They affect the emotional behavior by increasing or decreasing the secretion of the respective hormones . Imbalance of Oestrogen – anxiety and mood swings Progesterone – insomnia, head ache and anxiety Testosterone – decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction Serotonin (anti depressant ) – aggressive and impulsive behaviour GABA (anti anxiety, anti pain, sleep) – Restlessness and anxiety Dopamine – mood swings and cognitive problems

6. Autonomic nervous system Consists of two divisions 1. Sympathetic division 2. Parasympathetic division

7. Fear or anger Sympathetic division Adrenal gland ADR, NA Increase in HR Increase in BP Increased blood sugar Pupillary dilatation Inhibits salivation Relaxes bronchi Inhibits peristalsis Skin perspires FEAR OR ANGER

8. C almness relaxed period Parasympathetic division Decrease in HR Decrease in BP Pupillary constriction Increases salivation Constricts bronchi Stimulates peristalsis Skin dries Calmness and relaxed period

9. Brain It controls the somatic and autonomic patterns of activity . In others words, it controls the physiological expression of emotion The aroused state that is part of emotion is due to increased activation of brain cells in Cerebral cortex Hypothalamus Limbic system ARAS

10. The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic division have centers in the hypothalamus . Stimulation of the posterior area of the hypothalamus  sympathetic activity  anxiety or tension Stimulation of the anterior area of the hypothalamus  parasympathetic activity  depression or relaxation Specific emotions result in specific bodily changes. Happiness  HR Surprise Angry Fearfulness  HR Sad mood

11. Facial movements can influence emotional experience. An individual who is forced to smile in an event will find the event more enjoyable one. Suppressing facial expression  emotions Facial muscle movements are closely related to the body’s physiological response in emotion. Emotions are also displayed through Tone of voice Behaviour Body language Facial expressions and emotion

12. Ekman and colleagues have shown that there are six basic emotions that are expressed in the face. These are universal.

13. THEORIES OF EMOTION

14. In 1870, Charles Darwin said Emotions evolved because they were adaptive. allowed humans and animals to survive and reproduce. .Feelings of love and affection lead people to seek mates and reproduce. Feelings of fear compel people to either fight or flee the source of danger. Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli, which improve the chances of success and survival. Understanding the emotions of other people and animals also plays a crucial role in safety and survival. If you encounter a hissing animal you quickly realize and run away .

15. James Lange Theory Proposed by William James and Carl Lange in 1885

16. Felt emotion is the perception of bodily changes. Emotion spring from physiological reaction. The perception of stimulus physiological changes specific sensations brain interprets these sensations as different emotions . Bodily changes, both the internal changes in the ANS and external movements of the body precede the emotional experience. For this theory to work there should be different sets of internal and external bodily changes for each emotion.

17. James Lange Theory

18. Criticism against James Lange Theory On most occasions emotion occurs immediately after the stimulus. E.g. hearing a loud bang and being startled. But our visceral responses could not be that fast. In case of less intense emotion, the bodily patterns can’t be perceived. On many occasions we experience physiological changes but do not experience emotion e.g. joggers have a pounding heart but there is no associated emotion. With the same physiological arousal, people can experience different emotions . E.g. a person may have racing heart both when he is angry and when he is afraid.

19. Cannon Bard Theory Proposed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard in 1927.

20. Felt emotions and physiological responses are independent events. They occur simultaneously.

21. Schachter -Singer Theory ( Cognitive labeling theory / Two factor theory of emotions ) Proposed by Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer

22. Two factors jointly determine the emotional experience. Physiological arousal Interpretation of the experience based on the environmental cues. Bodily state of emotional arousal is much same for most of the emotions we feel. But people have different emotions because of the differences in the way they interpret. In other words, our emotional arousal depends on both physiological changes and cognitive or mental interpretation of those changes. Since this interpretation is purely by cognitive functioning, cognitive factors are said to be the potent determiners of emotional states.

23. Subjects injected Inj. ADR Informed that Inj. Not Informed that Inj. Will cause arousal Will cause arousal Attributed arousal Ignorant about To Inj. Inj. Action put in a put in a happy situation angrier situation more happier more angrier Different emotions were experienced with the same state of physiological arousal

24. Cognitive Appraisal Theory Proposed by Richard Lazarus in 1970.

25. Emotions we feel result from appraisals or evaluation of information’s coming from the environmental situations the body the memory In addition, appraisal comes from Memories of past encounters with similar situations Dispositions to respond in certain ways Consideration of consequences of actions that might result from the emotional state Outcome of complex appraisal of all these information is the emotion.

26. Subjects shown an emotion producing movie Circumcision rites of Australian aborigeenes 4 different sound tracks Trauma denial intellectualization no track track track track Stress reaction HR, Skin conductance Highest lowest lowest next highest Sound tracks induced to make different appraisals of the same stimulus – film Different emotion occurs to same stimulus because of the differences in the appraisal of the stimulus. How different emotions occur to the same stimulus ?

27. Reappraisal It is an important part of the cognitive theory. It is a way of coping with the stressful situations. Suppose If called by  appraisal  FEAR The Dean You got the  reappraisal  FEAR PLEASURE First mark People reappraise with the emotion producing stimuli with Denial – it is not stressful at all think positively Intellectualization – this is all very interesting Reaction formation – this isn’t stressful, in fact it’s a great learning experience These kinds of people are able to reduce the intensity of disturbed emotional feelings which accompany stressful situations.

28. Activation theory Coined by Donald B Lindsley in 1951

29. Emotion represents a state of heightened arousal rather than a psychological, physiological or biological process. Arousal lies on a wide continuum ranging from a very low level of deep sleep to extremely agitated states of rage or anger. Emotion provoking stimuli ARAS cortex musculature

30. Cognitive theory : Magda Arnold Given in 1966, one of the first ones to use the concept of cognition. His concept is known as ‘sequential model’. The steps involved in emotions are Perception of the stimulus Appraisal : stimulus is beneficial or harmful Determining emotions with regards to the situation Expressing emotions also accompanying physiological responses Finally they all give an idea to approach a situation or not.

31. Opponent Process Theory Given by Richard Solomon and John Corbit . Every emotional arousal has an opposite , i.e. when one type of emotion is elicited there must be an opposite to suppress or cancel it. In this way the emotional arousal remains at some baseline. If you are frightened by a mean dog, Fear Relief If the fear-causing stimulus continues to be present, after a while Fear Relief

32. Theory of Relationships among Emotions Emotions are Indistinct Intermingled Constantly changing Robert Plutchik has proposed a theory in 1970. Concerned with what are called primary or basic emotions. According to him, the emotions differ in three ways: 1. Intensity, 2. Similarity, 3. Polarity or oppositeness. He uses these three dimensions to draw a spatial model.

33. There are eight segments in his model, representing eight primary emotions . Within each segment, The strongest variety of the emotion is at the top of the segment with progressively weaker emotions towards the bottom. The similar emotions are adjacent to each other and the opposite emotions are at the opposite poles.

34. Applied aspect Lie detectors They are also called as polygraphs. They make simultaneous records of several bodily reactions thought to be indicative of emotional arousal. They measure the changes in BP, HR, breathing rate, depth of breathing.

35. Classification of disorders of emotion Abnormalities of basic emotions ■ Intensity of emotions diminution - anhedonia Exacerbation – mania, ecstasy ■ Duration, time and quality of experience, including lability of mood, pathological crying and laughing, parathymia and paramimia ■ Expression of emotion, including blunting and flattening of affect ■ Appropriateness to object, including phobia Abnormality of physiological arousal ■ Alexithymia Abnormalities of evaluation of social context ■ Negative cognitive schemas ■ Prosopoaffective agnosia ■ Receptive vocal dysprosody

36. Conclusion None of the theories is a comprehensive theory of emotion The biological structure of an individual modulated by the environmental experiences , in one way or the other, must activate the internal organs and the cerebral cortex for the various physiological responses and affective experiences that are experienced by the individual while going through an emotional behavior.

37. References Introduction to Psychology – Clifford T Morgan Sims Symptoms in Mind – Femi Oyebode Kaplan and Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry

38. THANK YOU