Lecture Week 5 Flashcards
1
Q
Define Emotion
A
- A state that involves psychological arousal
- cognitive appraisal of the situation that produced the state
- an outward behaviour that expresses the state ie smiling or crying
2
Q
Describe Basic Emotions
A
- they are unlearned and universal
- reflected in facial expressions across cultures
- emerge in children based on biological timetable of development
- Usual basic emotions
- fear
- anger
- disgust
- surprise
- happiness
- sadness
3
Q
Components of Emotion
A
- Cognitive - beleifs, appraisals, thoughts, expectations
- Physiological - Physical changes related to arousal e.g. sweat response, faster heart beat
- Behavioural - Expression, outward demonstration of emotional state e.g. door slamming
- Social/Cultural - Perceived rules for communication of emotion
4
Q
Physiological Component of Emotions
A
Normal “Rest and Digest” state
vs
Aroused “Fight or Flight” state
5
Q
Cognitive Component of emotions
A
- Emotion is a highly subjective experience
- Psychologists rely on participants verbal reports
6
Q
Behavioural Component of Emotion
A
- People display emotions through chatersistic overt expressions
- Emotions are expressed in body language and non verbal bheaviour
7
Q
Does motivation come before or after motivation
A
Motivation = energy + direction
►
Emotions = energy and it is directed towards a source
Emotion is complex product individual biopsychosocial context
8
Q
How do we express emotion?
A
- Three Key Theories
- James-Lange Theory
- Cannon-Bard Theory
- Schachter-Singer Theory (two factor theory)
- Facial Feedback Hypothesis
- Evolutionary Theories
9
Q
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
A
- Biological
- An event causes physiological arousal
- Experience emotion only after you interpret the physical response
e.g. walking late at night, heart pounds and begin to tremble
Interpret these physical response as fear.
10
Q
Criticism of James-Lange Theory of Emotion
A
- We would need to have a unique pattern of physiological response for each emotion
- “complex emotion” is more than just Fight or Flight
e.g. screaming in terrified joy on a rollercoaster
- suggests that to feel emotion we must have an intact biological arousal response
- implies people with spinal cord injury cannot feel emotion
11
Q
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
A
- Situational
- An event causes a physiological and emotional response simultaneously
- One does not cause the other
e.g. walking late at night hear footsteps behind you, heart pounds, trembling and fear all at the same time.
12
Q
Criticisms of Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
A
- Cannon-Bard improves on James-Lang by suggesting neurobiological approach that says amygdala and hypothalamus are involved in processing emotion
- suggests cognitive response and arousal occur simultaneously is too simplistic
13
Q
Compare James-Lange and Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion
A
James-Lange says - Arousal first, then emotion
Cannon-Bard says - Arousal and emotion at the same time
BUT
Both theories underestimate the role of cognition
14
Q
Schachter-Singer Theory of emotion (two factor theory)
A
- Event causes physiological arousal
- You must then be able to identify a reason and label for the arousal and emotion
e.g. walking late at night and hear footsteps, heart pounds and trembling begins. You know that walking at night is dangerous so you feel afraid.
15
Q
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
A
- suggest muscular movements involved in facial expressions trigger corresponding emotions
e. g. smiling triggers happiness - studies demonstrating this effect is flawed
- often forgets about the role of cognition
- we can smile and express happiness but feel very angry
16
Q
Evolutionary Theories of Emotion
A
- Emotions developed due to their adaptive value
- Emotions can be a social signal
e.g.
- fear would help to avoid danger
- anger helps survive dangerous or threatening situations
- disgust signals poisonous or rotten food
- evolutionary theories consider emotions innate reactions to stimuli
- babies show distress to communicate a need
17
Q
Why do we express emotions
A
- Emotions have an evolutionary function
- Emotions are not instrumental
- weeping doesn’t solve the problem
- smashing plates doesn’t help
- emotions guide behaviour
- we respond and attend to emotion in people
- response is enhanced when emotion is highly aroused
- have survival value → monitors the environment and commences fight or flight function.
18
Q
Cultural Similarities in Emotion
A
- There are six fundamental emotions that occur across cultures
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Anger
- Fear
- Surprise
- Disgust
- Cultures generally evaluate and describe situations in a similar way
e.g. pleasant vs unpleasant
expected vs unexpected
fair vs unfair
- Events that trigger specific emotions are similar across cultures
e. g. acheivement leads to joy
injustice leads to anger
19
Q
Cultural differences – Display Rules
A
- Rules that dictate how emotions should be expressed
- Rules that dictate when and where emotional expression is appropriate
- Each culture has different display rules
- English has 550 words to express emotion – far greater than other languages
- Tahitians have no word for sadness
- Yoruba of Nigeria, Kaluli of New Guinea and the Chinese have no word for depression
- Lack of emotional concept words do not indicate that the emotion is absent from that culture
20
Q
Gender Differences in displaying emotion
A
After a betrayal or harsh criticism
Men
- more likely to feel angry
- More likely to express anger in public settings
Women
- more likely to feel sad, hurt or dissapointer
- Respond with greater emotional intensity than men
21
Q
Music and Emotion
A
- Music is associated with strong emotion which is elicited whenever music is played
- Associations are intimate and elicit rich emotional responses (weeping, chills, hair on the back of neck)
22
Q
Emotion of Stress
A
Circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten well being and coping abilities
23
Q
Types of Stress
A
- General
- Acute
- Chronic
- PTSD
24
Q
General Stress
A
- Most frequent type of stress
- Resolves in a day or two
- No intervention required
25
Acute Stress
* Threatening events that have a relatively short duration and a clear endpoint
26
Chronic Stress
* Threatening events that have a long duration
* Often no readily apparent time limit
27
PTSD level of Stress
Enduring psychological disturbance attributed to the experience of a major traumatic event
28
Health Psychology
* Primarily concerned with psychosocial factors relate to one another
* Promotion and maintenance of health with causation, prevention and treatment of mental illness
29
Theory of Cognitive Appraisal
* Lazarus and Folkman (1984)
* Primary Appraisal is an initial evaluation of an event
* Irrelevant to you
* Relevant but not threatening
* Stressful
* Secondary appraisal is an evaluation of your coping resources and options
30
Why do people experience stress
* Stress is in the eye of the beholder
* People view a situation as threatening
* People perceive a lack of resources to cope
* Perception is often not objective in their appraisal
* Personality characteristics i.e. Neuroticism
* Levels of happiness
31
Different responses to stress
* Emotional Responses
* Physiological responses
* Cognitive Responses
* Behavioural Responses
32
Negative Emotional Responses to Stress
Annoyance, anxiety, fear, rage, depression, grief, helplessness, anger, sadness, apprehension, dejection
33
Positive Emotional responses
* Counted Blessings
* Adaptive Significance
* Gratitude
* Renewed love for friends and family
* Flexibility in problem solving
34
Adaptive Significance
* Behaviours that enables a person to manage in their environment with greatest success and least conflict with others
* Most associated with children
35
Physiological Response to stress
* Fight or Flight Autonomic Nervous System
* Physical reaction to threat where autonomic nervous system moves the person to attack or flee from the problem
36
Evolutionary Perspective to stress
* Tend or Befriend
* Walter Cannon 1935
37
* Hans Selye 1930's
* General Adaptive Theory
* Exposed laboratory animals to a diverse amount of psychological stressors i.e. heat, cold, pain, mild shock, and restraint
* Influential theory to stress reactions in physiological arousal
* Model of body stress response in three stages
38
3 stages of General Adaptation Theory
1. Alarm Reaction
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion
39
General Adaptation Theory – Alarm Reaction
* Occurs when an organism first recognises the existence of a threat
* Arousal increases
* Body musters its resources to combat the challenge
40
General Adaptation Theory – Resistance
* Physiological arousal stabilises at a high level
* Stress resistance is strong
* Coping efforts get under way
41
General Adaptation Theory – Exhaustion
* Physiological resources depleted
* Arousal and stress resistance decline
* Sometimes leads to physical exhaustion and disease
42
Cognitive Appraisal
A theory of emotion which implicates people's personal interpretations of an event in determining their emotional reaction
43
Cognitive Responses
* Albert Ellis 1977
* "You think the way you feel"
* Our beleifs and appraisal of events affects our response
44
Catastrophic Thinking
* Unrealistic thinking
* Uncharacterisically pessimistic appraisal of stress
* exageration of the magnitude of problesm
45
Learned Helplessness
* Passive behavour in response to unavailable aversive events
* Stems from interpretation of life events
46
Cognitive Responses - Resilience
* Affects how people cope with stressful events
* Successful adaptation to stress and trauma
* manifests lack of serious negative outcomes
47
Behavioural Responses - Coping
* Active efforts to master stress
* Effort to reduce or tolerate stress
* can be adaptive or maladaptive
48
Behavioural Responses - Maladaptive
* Innapropriate coping responses
* striking out at others
* aggression, defensiveness
* self indulgence or self blame
* burnout
49
Behavioural Responses - Adaptive
* Successful attempts to reduce stress
* detects and disrupts negative self talk
* characterised by rational thinking and positive interpretation
* develops resilience
50
Hans Seyle's Stress Curve
51
Eustress vs Distress
* Hans Seyle 1956
* Eustress = Beneficial Stress allows us to perform at peak and is generally pleasant
* Distress is negative
* Demands are too high
* Leads to burnout, fatigues, emotional upset and illness
52
Psychosomatic diseases
* Genuine physical ailments
* Thought to be caused by stress and other factors
* Is often biopsychosocial in nature
* Affected by neuroticism
* Supported by conscientiousness and optimism
53
Diathesis
* The Responses Factors that set the foundation for vulnerability to Disorder
* Biological factor, genetics, disordered biochemistry, brain abnormalities
* Social factors, maladaptive upbringing, poor social skills
* Psychological factors, unconscious conflicts, maladaptive thinking
54
Diathesis -Stress Model
* Attempts to explain trajectory of disorder as a predisposition to stress caused by life experiences
* Diathesis is a predisposition to disorder from biopsychosocial elements
* Stress can be biopsychosocial elements and environment and events that threaten well being
55
Diathesis + Stress = Disorder
Diathesis - Biological, social and Psychological Factors
+
Stress - Triggers like traumatic events, onset of disease and perceived loss of control
=
Disorder
56
Cumulative Nature of Stress
* Stress adds up
* Routine stress in life can collectively create great strain
* Can be related to serious crisis like trauma or natural disaster
* Unusual events are only a small part of stressors
57
Contributors to Chronic Stress
* Poor academic performance (Akgun & Ciarrochi, 2003)
* Insomnia and other sleep disturbances (Bernert et al., 2007)
* Sexual difficulties (Bodenmann et al., 2006)
* Alcohol and drug abuse (Grunberg, Berger, & Hamilton, 2011)
* Depression and anxiety disorders (Beidel & Stipelman, 2007)
* Schizophrenia (Walker, Mittal, & Tessner, 2008)
* Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Norris & Slone, 2007)
58
Positive Effects of Stress
* Stress can promote personal growth or self-improvement
* Eustress is a pleasant and desirable type of stress that is healthful and keeps us engaged in situations
* People develop new skills, reevaluate priorities, learn new insights, and acquire new strengths
* Promotes resilience! (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006, 2008)
59
Stress Management Strategies
* Reappraisal of the situation
* Releasing pent-up emotions
* Forgiving others
* Mindfulness
* Relaxation
* Exercise
* Behaviours to elicit positive emotions
60
Reappraisal - Ellis's Rational Thinking
* People can short circuit emotional reactions by changing their appraisals
* "You feel the way you think"
* Problematic emotions are caused by negative self talk
* Need to challenge negative self talk
* Ellis developed the ABC Model
* Lead to REBT - Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
61
Albert Ellis - ABC Method
A: Activating Event
B: Belief and Appraisal of Situation
C: Consequence
62
Releasing Pent up Emotions
* Stress leads to emotional arousal
* People try to release the emotions building up inside
* Psychological arousal of emotions can become problematic
* elevated blood pressure
* autonomic arousal
* additional stress
* Stress becomes a vicious cycle
* Sometimes physiological arousal can be reduced by expressing one's emotions
63
Forgiveness as a Stress Management Strategy
* Negative emotions associated with feeling “wronged”
* Forgiving someone involves counteracting these natural tendencies and releasing the person from further liability for his or her transgression
* Robert Enright – Forgiveness Therapy Model (2016)
* Increase in well being when divorced or permanently separated women forgave their husbands
(McCullough, 2001)
* Enhanced mood and improved physical systems
64
The theory of cognitive appraisal and stress management strategies
* Stress is in the eye (or mind) of the beholder
* People view the situation as threatening and a perceive a lack of resources to cope
* Reappraisal of the situation
* Releasing pent-up emotions
* Forgiving others
* Mindfulness
* Relaxation
* Exercise
* Behaviours to elicit positive emotions
65
Positive Psychology Applications
* Reappraisal of the situation
* Releasing pent-up emotions
* Forgiving others
* Mindfulness
* Relaxation
* Exercise
* Behaviours to elicit positive emotions
66
Field of Positive Psychology
* Began development in the 1990's
* the scientific study of optimal human functioning
* Aims to uncover and promote factors that allow individuals, communities and organisations to thrive
67
Barbara Fredrickson
* Broaden and Build Theory
* Positive Emotions Lab - University oof Northern Carolina
* When we experience a main positive emotions our minds open up
* Our thinking can broaden
* We are able to think "outside the box"
* We broaden our thinking builds a birds-eye view of the situation
* This generates alternative solutions to the task
68
Broaden and Build Theory
Experience of positive emotions
**→**
Broaden momentary Though-Action
→
Building enduring personal resources
→
Transform people and produce upward spiral
69
3 key features of Broaden and Build Theory
1. Broadening of Thought-Action repertoires makes individual engagement with their environment
2. Broadend thoughts assist people to find positive meaning in adverse situations
3. resiliency is beleived to build an upward spiral effect
**Resiliency** generates positive emotions which in turn generates resiliency
