Chapter 9: EMOTION

CHAPTER VIX

EMOTION

 

Introduction

                Have you ever felt angry that causes you to throw anything that your hands can grab on? How about crying your heart out for too much sorrow? Have you experienced your heart jumped for too much happiness? Today, are you feeling bored? Excited? Scared? Happy?

                Emotions can lead to a lot of reactions and behavior.  In the book “Mobydick” by Herman Melville – the lead character played by Captain Ahab went to great lengths just to have his revenge on the great white whale (named Mobydick).  Captain Ahab went was willing to sacrifice his ship, the life of his crew and ultimately his life just so he could satisfy his longing for revenge.

                The moral of the story of course is that revenge eventually consumes the person.  The source or the initiator will eventually harm people around him, hence, it is psychologically healthier to just let go and refrain from carrying emotional baggage.

                Emotions could also unintentionally lead to a great achievement.  Look at the Taj Mahal – because of the great love of a mughal emperor, as a sign of eternal love, a great infrastructure was erected, initially, it was a symbol of mourning but now, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (circa, 1983).

                When a person is coping with death, there is a proposed model or stages that the subject passes through.  This was initially postulated by Kubler-Ross and the acronym is DABDA.

                DABDA stands for:

• denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. 

               

                Though this is just a theoretical model, it simplifies human behavior when such is dealing with the grim subject of death.  Because grief is one of the inevitable emotion that we all have to experience sooner or later.

                One of the most interesting topics about human psychology is emotions. In this chapter, key concepts and theories about human emotion is presented.

                Many researchers are now interested in exploring this aspect of human process.

Definitions of Emotions

·                     The etymological definition of EMOTION is “emovere” a Latin word which means “to move out”.

·                     According to Woolfolk (2009) emotions are subjective reactions to experience that are associated with physiological and behavioral changes.

·                     Feldman (2008) defined emotions as feelings that generally have both physiological and cognitive elements and that influence behavior.

·                     Emotions are considered as the building blocks of personality.

Basic Emotions (Matlin, 1992)

EMOTION	FUNCTION
Fear	Protection
Anger	Destruction
Joy	Incorporation
Disgust	Rejection
Acceptance	Reproduction
Sadness	Reintegration
Surprise	Orientation
Anticipation	Exploration

Figure 1:   Plutchik’s Model

Aspects of Emotions

• Personal emotional experiences- characteristics of emotion which people consciously feel, know and describe verbally.
• Physiological of bodily changes that occur during the emotion
• Behavior of the person- how one acts and what one does
• Motivational aspect

                                              

3 Ways in Which Emotions Vary

• Intensity- shows by the distinction we make between grief and sadness, between fear or panic, or annoyance and fury.
• Similarity- emotions have tone; another is reflected in our acceptance of the fact that joy and disgust.
• Polarity- some emotions are opposite or polar to each other.

Functions of Emotions

Emotion is not just a phenomenon of a human experience the evolution of human beings occurred through understanding our own emotions. Moreover, we have emotions because they are of  significant importance in the survival of our species.

Feldman (2008), identified three major functions of Emotions.

·         Preparation for Action- we are able to respond to changes in our environment because our emotions enable us to prepare to respond to the stimulus in our surroundings.

                        For example person experiences fear to alert him of the possible danger in the environment.

·         Shaping future behavior- one factor that shapes our future behavior is our emotion. Constant exposure to stimuli that stir our emotions enables us to learn, relearn and unlearn a certain behavior.

                        Our personal emotional experiences help us decide what appropriate behavior we can use in different         situations.

·         Helping us interact more effectively with others- As social beings we are interacting with one another almost every time.

                        Understanding your own emotions and emotions of       others enables us to sympathize or empathize with others.

Physiological Components of Emotion

                Emotions are usually accompanied by physiological reactions, listed below are the usual physiological reactions of the body in emotions.

1.       Dilation of the pupils

2.       Breathing pattern changes

3.       Heart rate changes

4.       Blood pressure usually rises

5.       Muscle tremor and tension

6.       Salivary secretion

7.       Pilimotor response (goose-bumps)

8.       Galvanic skin response (skin conductance)

Types of Emotional Reactions

·          Fear- one of the most troublesome emotional reactions. The most prominent feelings associated with fear are bodily sensations due to the activation of the autonomic nervous system.

·          Anger- the primary occasion for anger is when a goal seeking activity is hindered. When a situation or other people unduly limit one’s freedom of action, the restrained individual is likely to become angry. Attacking is a possible reaction.

·          Depression or grief- situations which cause depressive or grief reactions are similar to those that produce anger.

         The major difference is that there is more of the element of finality in depressive states than in angry situations.

·          Love- mainly involves a focusing of strong positive feelings on a person.

         It can have a sexual desire as an important component, although people can feel it without the sexual element.