Emotions

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Emotions
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EMOTION

• A notoriously slippery thing to define.

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EMOTION

• A state of arousal involving
• Facial and bodily changes
• Brain activation
• Cognitive appraisals
• Subjective feelings
• Tendencies toward action
• Shaped by cultural rules

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Primary Emotions

• Emotions considered to be universal and
  biologically based, usually thought to include
• Fear
• Anger
• Sadness
• Joy
• Surprise
• Disgust
• Contempt

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Secondary emotion

• Emotions that develop with cognitive maturity
  and vary across individuals and cultures.
• For example
• Love
• Jealousy
• Suspicion
• Envy
• Shame
• Guilt
• Loneliness

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Universal Expressions of Emotion

• Facial expressions for primary emotions are
  universal.
• Even members of remote cultures can recognize
  facial expressions in people who are foreign to
  them.
• Infants are able to read parental expressions.
• Facial expressions can generate same expressions
  in others, creating mood contagion.

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The Brain and Emotion

• The amygdala
• Responsible for assessing threat.
• Damage to the amygdala results in abnormality in
  processing fear.

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The Brain and Emotion

• Left prefrontal cortex
• Involved in motivation to approach others.
• Damage to this area results in loss of joy.
• Right prefrontal cortex
• Involved in withdrawal and escape.
• Damage to this area results in excessive
• mania and euphoria.

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Hormones and Emotion

• When experiencing an intense emotion, two
  hormones are released.
• Epinephrine
• Norepinephrine
• Results in increased alertness and arousal.
• At high levels, can create sensation of being
  out of control emotionally.

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Culture and Emotion

• Culture determines what people feel angry, sad,
  lonely, happy, ashamed lonely, happy, ashamed or
  disgusted about.
• Some cultures have words for specific emotions.
• E.g., German
• schadenfreudeis enjoyment taken from the
  misfortune of someone else.
• Some cultures dont have words for emotions that
  seem universal to others.
• E.g., Tahitian
• no word for sadness

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Emotional Regulation

• Display rules
• When, where, and how emotions are to be
  expressed or when they should be squelched.
• Emotion work
• Acting out an emotion we do not feel or trying
  to create the right emotion for the occasion.
• Body language
• The nonverbal signals of body movement, posture,
  and gaze that people constantly express.

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Emotion and Gender

• Women recall emotional events more intensely and
  vividly than do men.
• Men experience emotional events more intensely
  than do women.
• Conflict is physiologically more upsetting for
  men than for women.

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Possible Reasons

• Males autonomic nervous system is more reactive
  than females.
• Men are more likely to rehearse angry thoughts,
  thus maintaining anger.
• Women are more likely to ruminate, thus
  maintaining depression.

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Sensitivity to others Emotions

• Factors influencing ones ability to read
  emotional signals
• The sex of the sender and receiver.
• How well the sender and receiver know each other.
• How expressive the sender is.
• Who has the power.
• Stereotypes and expectations.

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Emotion and Gender

• Men and women appear to differ in the types of
  everyday events that provoke anger.
• Women become angry over issues related to their
  partners disregard.
• Men become angry over damage to property or
  problems with strangers

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Emotion and Gender

• Women work hard at appearing warm, happy, and
  making sure others are happy.
• Men work hard at persuading others they are
  stern, aggressive, and unemotional.

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Factors Influencing Emotional Expressiveness

• Gender roles
• Cultural norms
• The specific situation

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Let It Out or Bottle It Up?

• Despite pop-psych views that anger should be
  expressed rather than bottled up, research shows
  that expressing anger does not get rid of it
  expressing anger often prolongs it.

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Anger

• In our society, anger is viewed as an immature or
  uncivilized response to frustration, threat,
  violation, or loss of control.
• Keeping calm, coolheaded, or turning the other
  cheek is considered more socially acceptable.
• People tend to express their anger either
  passively or aggressively.

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Passive Anger

• Secretive behavior, such as resentments that are
  expressed behind peoples backs, giving the
  silent treatment or under the breath mutterings,
  avoiding eye contact, putting people down,
  gossiping, anonymous complaints, stealing, and
  conning.
• Manipulation, such as provoking people to
  aggression and then patronizing them, provoking
  aggression but staying on the sidelines,
  emotional blackmail, false tearfulness, using a
  third party to convey negative feelings,
  withholding money or resources.
• Dispassion, such as giving the cold shoulder or
  phony smiles, looking cool, sitting on the fence
  while others sort things out.
• Evasiveness, such as turning your back in a
  crisis, avoiding conflict.

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Aggressive Anger

• Threats, such as frightening people by saying how
  you could harm them, their property or their
  prospects.
• Hurtfulness, such as physical violence, verbal
  abuse, using foul language.
• Destructiveness, such as destroying property or
  objects, harming animals.
• Bullying, such as threatening people directly,
  persecuting, pushing or shoving shouting, playing
  on peoples weaknesses.
• Unjust blaming, such as accusing other people for
  your own mistakes, blaming people for your own
  feelings, making general accusations.
• Selfishness, such as ignoring others needs, not
  responding to requests for help.
• Vengeance, such as being over-punitive.
• Unpredictability, such as explosive rages over
  minor frustrations, attacking indiscriminately,
  inflicting harm on others for the sake of it.

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Anger Management Tips

• Take a "time out"
• Counting to 10 before reacting
• Leaving the situation
• Do something physically exerting
• Go for a brisk walk or a run, swim, lift weights
  or shoot baskets.
• Find ways to calm and soothe yourself.
• Deep-breathing exercises, visualize a relaxing
  scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase to
  yourself, such as "take it easy."
• Listen to music, paint, write a journal or do
  yoga.

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Assertive Communication

• Use "I" statements when describing the problem to
  avoid criticizing or placing blame.
• For instance
• "I'm upset you didn't help with the housework
  this evening"
• Instead of
• "You should have helped with the housework"

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Other Remedies

• Learn to forgive
• Use humor
• Keep an anger journal or log
• Will help to identify situations that set you
  off and to monitor your reactions.
• Practice relaxation techniques

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The Complex Emotion of Anger

• Angered Insulted
• Outraged Furious
• Offended Resented
• Exasperated Displeasured
• Disappointed Animosity
• Hostile Hatred
• Infuriated Enraged
• Outraged Inflamed
• Provoked Exasperated
• Irritated Annoyed
• Antagonized Bitter

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The Complex State of Joy

• Happy Amused
• Delighted Euphoric
• Enthusiastic Triumphant
• Cheerful Eager
• Jubilant Hopeful
• Jovial Elated
• Exhilarated Pleasured
• Excited Joyful
• Ecstatic Glad
• Satisfied Thrilled