3-emotion textbook Flashcards
mood
- prolonged, less intense, affective state that does not occur in response to something we experienced
- May not be consciously recognized and do not carry the intentionality that is associated with emotion
Cognitive appraisal
person tries to determine the way they will be impacted in a situation
Facial feedback hypothesis
Facial expression affects emotional experience
Appraisal theory
You have thoughts (cognitive appraisal) before you experience an emotion, and the emotion you experience depends on the thoughts you had
- If you think something is positive, you will have more positive emotions about it than if you appraisal was negative
○ Vice versa too
- Explains how 2 people can have two completely different emotions regarding the same event!!
Cognitive-mediational theory
Emotions are determined by our appraisal of the stimulus
- Appraisal mediates between stimulus and the emotional response
- Immediate and often unconscious
- Appraisal precedes a cognitive label
Automatic emotion regulation (AER) -
non delibrate control of emotions
- People develop an automatic process that works like a script or schema
- Process does not require delibrate thought to regulate emotions
Thalamus
sensory relay center whose neurons project to amygdala and higher cortical regions for further processing
Amygdala
role in processing emotional information and sending that info on:
- Basolateral complex
- Central nucleus
Basolateral complex
dense connections with a variety of sensory areas of the brain
Central nucleus
plays role in attention, has connections with the hypothalamus and various brainstem areas to regulate the autonomic nervous system and endocrine systems’ activity
Hippocampus
- integrates emotional experience with cognition
- Hippocampal structure and function are linked to a variety of mood and anxiety disorders
Cultural display rule
one of a collection of culturally specific standards that govern the types and frequencies of displays of emotions that are acceptable
Stimulus-bassed definitons of stress and why its problematic
characterize stress as a STIMULUS that causes certain reactions
Problematic – because they fail to recognize that people differ in how they view and react to challenging life events and situations.
response-based definitions
describe stress as a response to environmental conditions.
- “response of the body to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions”
Types of appraisals
- primary appraisal
- secondary appraisal
primary appraisal
involves judgment about the degree of potential harm or threat to well-being that a stressor might entail.
secondary appraisal
judgment of the options available to cope with a stressor, as well as perceptions of how effective such options will be
- threat tends to be viewed as less catastrophic if one believes something can be done about it
eustress
is a good kind of stress associated with positive feelings, optimal health, and performance.
- Health psychology
subfield of psychology devoted to understanding the importance of psychological influences on health, illness, and how people respond when they become ill
- Walter Cannon
- the first to identify the body’s physiological reactions to stress.
- Proposed the fight-or-flight response
- fight-or-flight response
- occurs when a person experiences very strong emotions—especially those associated with a perceived threat
- During the fight-or-flight response, the body is rapidly aroused by activation of both the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system
- This arousal helps prepare the person to either fight or flee from a perceived threat
- built-in mechanism that assists in maintaining homeostasis
- Adaptive bc it enables people to adjust internally and externally to threats in their environment
general adaptation syndrome,
the body’s nonspecific physiological response to stress.
three stages:
1. alarm reaction
2. stage of resistance
3. stage of exhaustion
(1) alarm reaction of general adaption syndrome
body’s immediate reaction upon facing a threatening situation or emergency
fight-or-flight response
□ (2) stage of resistance of general adaptation syndrome
- initial shock of alarm reaction has worn off and the body has adapted to the stressor.
- body also remains on alert and is prepared to respond as it did during the alarm reaction, although with less intensity.
□ (3) stage of exhaustion
- person is no longer able to adapt to the stressor
- the body’s ability to resist becomes depleted as physical wear takes its toll on the body’s tissues and organs.
- illness, disease, and other permanent damage to the body—even death—may occur.
§ response-based conceptualization of stress
- focusing exclusively on the body’s physical responses
- ignoring psychological factors such as appraisal and interpretation of threats.
biological process for stress
- sympathetic nervous system triggers arousal via the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands.
- activates the fight-or-flight responses to stress
- At the same time, the HPA axis becomes especially active
- In response to stress, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing factor, a hormone that causes the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- ACTH then activates the adrenal glands to secrete a number of hormones into the bloodstream
○ Cortisol
- a stress hormone and helps provide that boost of energy when we first encounter a stressor, preparing us to run away or fight.
- sustained elevated levels of cortisol weaken the immune system.
effects of short bursts of stress
- providing extra energy,
- improving immune system functioning temporarily
- decreasing pain sensitivity.
Coping
mental and behavioral efforts that we use to deal with problems relating to stress.
types of coping
problem-focused coping
emotion-focused coping
○ problem-focused coping
- manage or alter the problem that is causing one to experience stress
- dentifying the problem, considering possible solutions, weighing the costs and benefits of these solutions, and then selecting an alternative
- actively try to do things to address the problem.
○ emotion-focused coping
efforts to change or reduce the negative emotions associated with stress.
- avoiding, minimizing, or distancing oneself from the problem
- positive comparisons with others
- seeking something positive in a negative event
involve reappraisal
- stressor is construed differently (and somewhat self-deceptively) without changing its objective level of threat
when are we more likely to use emotion-focused coping
when faced with stressors that we believe we are powerless to change
when are we more likely to use problem-focused coping
- more likely to occur when encountering stressors we perceive as controllable,
Perceived control
is our beliefs about our personal capacity to exert influence over and shape outcomes, and it has major implications for our health and happiness
what is percieved control associated with
- associated with a variety of favorable outcomes
- better physical and mental health
- greater psychological well-being
- Greater personal control is also associated with lower reactivity to stressors in daily life.
- view their health as controllable
- more likely that they will better manage their health and engage in behaviors conducive to good health
Social support
- soothing impact of friends, family, and acquaintances
- advice, guidance, encouragement, acceptance, emotional comfort, and tangible assistance
- one of the reasons social support is connected to favorable health outcomes is because it has several beneficial physiological effects in stressful situations.
Stress-combating techniques
- relaxation response technique
- Biofeedback
- relaxation response technique
combines relaxation with transcendental meditation, and consists of four components
1) sitting upright on a comfortable chair with feet on the ground and body in a relaxed position,
2) being in a quiet environment with eyes closed,
3) repeating a word or a phrase—a mantra—to oneself, such as “alert mind, calm body,”
4) passively allowing the mind to focus on pleasant thoughts, such as nature or the warmth of your blood nourishing your body.
Biofeedback
- technique that uses electronic equipment to accurately measure a person’s neuromuscular and autonomic activity
- enable the individual to develop strategies that help gain some level of voluntary control over what are normally involuntary bodily processes
