Emotion in CBT

Question 1

What are Emotions?

Answer 1

• response to complex system designed to prepare organism to respond to environmental stimuli (internal or external)
• fight-flight-freeze
• emotions are brief
• avoidance can be adaptive, but ppl with anxiety often avoid safe situations

Question 2

Components of emotions

Answer 2

• subjective experience
• facial expression
• nonverbal postures
• purposeful behavior
• psychological response
• cognitive response

Question 3

James-Lange Theory

Answer 3

• William James and Carl Lange (1884), independently
• -Stimulus→ Physiological response → Feel emotion
• See a bear→ Tremble → Feel fright → Run away

Question 4

Cannon-Bard Theory

Answer 4

• opposite of the James-Lange theory

- emotions are felt, which create a physiological response

Question 5

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

Answer 5

• Schachter and Singer
• physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal
• emotion leads to physiological arousal and search for cues (feeling tense and seeing a guy with a bat and running)
• happening simultaneously… but what really comes first!?

Question 6

Emotions as signals

Answer 6

• To self: deficient subjective experience of emotion may contribute to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder
• Patients who are better at making fine emotional distinctions are also better at emotional regulation
• To others: Facial expression is a mode of communication
• Individuals with autism, Asperger’s, and other PDDs have difficulty reading expression
• embarrassment may inform the self about a violation of social norms

Question 7

Models of Emotion: Discrete Emotions

Answer 7

• Ekman: idea of few basic emotions (anger, fear, sadness, happiness, contentment)
• Linehan: change in temp can induce parasympathetic arousal- dunking people’s heads when anxious
• Foa and Williamson: fear reduced by singing a silly song about it

Question 8

Models of Emotion: Approach and Withdrawal System

Answer 8

• emotions result from three systems:
• Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)- activated by nonreward, punishment, novelty. Orients attention toward the stimulus suppresses ongoing behavior, activates withdrawal, generates anxiety and negative affect (overactive BIS is the basis of anxiety)
• Behavioral Activation System (BAS)- responds to reward and nonpunishment with approach behavior and positive affect like elation, excitement, and interest. (underactive BAS is the basis of depression)
• Fight-Flight System (FFS)- responds to unconditioned pain and frustrative nonreward with arousal, escape, avoidance, and aggression (FFS is the basis of fear and panic reactions)