Understanding Emotions: A Comprehensive Look at General Psychology and Theories of Emotion, Slides of Social Psychology of Emotion

Download Understanding Emotions: A Comprehensive Look at General Psychology and Theories of Emotion and more Slides Social Psychology of Emotion in PDF only on Docsity! Emotion Degree Course (Three Years) Psychology Honours B. A. Part– I Honours Paper I : GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Unit 7 by Dr. Rukhsana Praveen Ph. D Professor of Psychology Ram Ratan Singh College, Mokama Patliputra University, Patna • One broad definition is given by Kleinginna and Kleinginna (1981). They gathered, analyzed and classified 92 definitions and 9 skeptical statements about the concept of emotion concluding that there is little consistency among definitions and many are too vague. Therefore, the researchers suggested a comprehensive definition: James-Lange……. This theory was proposed in 1884. It combined the ideas of William James and Carl Lange, who largely independently arrived at the same conclusion. William James described: • "My theory ... is that the bodily changes follow directly the perception of the exciting fact, and that our feeling of the same changes as they occur is the emotion. Common sense says, we lose our fortune, are sorry and weep; we meet a bear, are frightened and run; we are insulted by a rival, and angry and strike. The hypothesis here to be defended says that this order of sequence is incorrect ... and that the more rational statement is that we feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble ... Without the bodily states following on the perception, the latter would be purely cognitive in form, pale, colorless, destitute of emotional warmth. We might then see the bear, and judge it best to run, receive the insult and deem it right to strike, but we should not actually feel afraid or angry" James-Lange……… • Lange particularly added that vasomotor changes are the emotions. • It was largely supplanted by the Cannon- Bard theory, but of late, it has made something of a come-back, although the notion of causality is not as strong and there is ongoing uncertainty as which comes first, physiological or emotional feelings. James-Lange……. Example • I see a bear. My muscles tense, my heart races. I feel afraid. Using it • Watch people's physiological signals (facial color, etc.) and deduce what emotions will result. Defending • Notice your own physical feelings and muse about how these lead to emotion. If you could relax deliberately, would you feel better? Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Description • When trying to understand what kind of person we are, we first watch what we do and feel and then deduce our nature from this. This means that the first step is to experience physiological arousal. We then try to find a label to explain our feelings, usually by looking at what we are doing and what else is happening at the time of the arousal. Thus we don’t just feel angry, happy or whatever: we experience feeling and then decide what they mean. • The sequence thus is as follows: • Event ==> arousal ==> reasoning ==> emotion • This is notable as it places emotion as a cognitive act rather than a deeper state. Two-Factor……… • Schachter and Singer (1962) gave some people a mild stimulant and others a placebo (on a pretence of testing vitamins). They then gave them a questionnaire containing rather personal questions. A stooge in the room got angry at the questionnaire and the people who had been given the stimulant (and who hence felt aroused) got even angrier (the people with the placebo were not that angry). Two-Factor Example • When we are feeling unwell, we often will deduce the illness from the symptoms. From then on, hypochondria can take hold and further symptoms psychosomatically appear to confirm our conclusions. Using it • If people are getting aroused (perhaps due to something you are doing), give them a plausible explanation. "If you are feeling a bit odd right now, it is probably because you are getting excited by what this product can do for you." Opponent-Process Theory Description • We have pairs of emotions that act in opposing pairs, such as happiness and sadness, fear and relief, pleasure and pain. When one of these is experienced, the other is temporarily suppressed. This opposite emotion, however, is likely to re-emerge strongly and may curtail or interact with the initial emotion. • Thus activating one emotion also activates its opposite and they interact as a linked pair. • To some extent, this can be used to explain drug use and other addictive behavior, as the pleasure of the high is used to suppress the pain of withdrawal. Opponent-Process…….. • Sometimes these two conflicting emotions may be felt at the same time as the second emotion intrudes before the first emotion wanes. The result is a confusing combined experience of two emotions being felt at the same time that normally are mutually exclusive. Thus we can feel happy-sad, scared-relieved, love-hate, etc. This can be unpleasant but as an experiential thrill it can also have a strangely enjoyable element (and seems to be a basis of excitement). Opponent-Process……. • Solomon and Corbit (1974) analyzed the emotions of skydivers. Beginners experienced extreme fear in their initial jump, which turned into great relief when they landed. With repeated jumps, the fear of jumping decreased and the post-jump pleasure increased.