EMOTIONS

EMOTIONS

Introduction

The word emotion comes from Latin roots

meaning to “move out” or to “excite” ,

the motivated person usually moves physically towards some goal or away from aversive situation

Introduction Like motivation emotion can initiate direct or

maintain behavior leading towards pleasant stimuli or away from danger or unpleasantness

Unpleasant PleasantBehavior

Definition

Emotions are feelings that generally have both physiologicaland cognitive elements and that influence behavior

Component of Emotional Behavior

Emotions

Physiological Behavioral Cognitive

Physiological change

In psychology emotion is considered a response to stimuli that involves characteristic physiological changes such as

Increase in pulse rate

Rise in body temperature

Change in breathing

Cognitive changes

The cognitive component is how we interpret certain situations or stimulations.

This determines which emotion our body will feel.

For example;

Behavioral changes

This component has been called the outward expression of our emotions.

For example

,

These display what emotions we are feeling

Body gestures

Facial expressions

Our tone of voice

Characteristics of emotions

The subjective experience of emotions has several characteristics

Emotion is transitory which tends to have a clear begging and shot duration

Emotion experience has a definite pleasant or unpleasant aspect (either negative or positive)

Emotion experience alters thought process it is usually diverts the attention towards or away from others

Emotion influence behavior

Components of emotion

William James and is followers suggested that an emotion has following five components

Subjective experience

Internal bodily response

Cognitive Appraisal

Facial experience

Reaction to the perceived source of emotion

Functions of emotions

They help us in communication with others e.g. facial expressions

They regulate social behavior

They create cognitive bias and maintain self –esteem

Emotion direct and energize individual’s thoughts and behavior

Aspects of emotions

While studying the aspects of emotion it become clear that Cognitive, Conitive and Effective all three aspects of constitute

Cognitive process include individual interpretation memories and expectation

The overt behavior reaction is expressive and instrumental

Psychologist focus on one or another of these aspects of human emotions

Basic emotions

Robert Plutchik created a wheel of emotions in 1980 which consisted of 8 basic emotions and

8 advanced emotions each composed of 2 basic ones.

Basic emotion Basic opposite

Joy Sadness

Trust Disgust

Fear Anger

Surprise Anticipation

Sadness Joy

Disgust Trust

Anger Fear

Anticipation Surprise

He said that all other emotions are assumed to be a variations of these eight basic emotions For exampleLove is a combination of joy and acceptanceDisappointment is a combination of sadness and surprise

Advanced emotion Composed of... Advanced opposite

Optimism Anticipation + Joy Disappointment

Love Joy + Trust Remorse

Submission Trust + Fear Contempt

Awe Fear + Surprise Aggressiveness

Disappointment Surprise + Sadness Optimism

Remorse Sadness + Disgust Love

Contempt Disgust + Anger Submission

Aggressiveness Anger + Anticipation Awe

Robert Plutchik Wheel Of Emotion

References

An Approach to Psychology Vol 1

(Rakhshanda Shahnaz)

An Introduction-to-Psychology Psy 101

( Virtual University Pakistan)

Myers Psychology 7th Edition

(James A. McCubbin, PhD

Clemson University)