Connecting Areas and ways of knowing

TOK EMOTION

Theories of Emotion

The major theories of motivation can be grouped into three main categories: physiological, neurological, and cognitive.

Physiological theories suggest that responses within the body are responsible for emotions. Neurological theories propose that activity within the brain leads to emotional

responses. Finally, cognitive theories argue that thoughts and other mental activity play an essential role in the

formation of emotions.

THEORIES OF EMOTION

e·mo·tion

iˈmōSHən/

noun

noun: emotion; plural noun: emotions

1.

a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

2. The term emotion usually is distinguished from feelings, mood, and

affect.

1. Feeling: the subjective experience associated with an

emotion.

2. Mood: an emotional state that is general and extended in time.

3. Affect: encompasses feelings and mood and categories of

emotion (e.g., positive or negative

WHAT IS EMOTION?

The James-Lange Theory of Emotion

The James-Lange theory is one of the best-known examples of a physiological theory of

emotion. Independently proposed by psychologist William James and physiologist

Carl Lange, the James-Lange theory of emotion suggests that emotions occur as a result of physiological reactions to events.

According to this theory, you see an external stimulus that leads to a physiological reaction. Your emotional reaction is

dependent upon how you interpret those physical reactions. For example, suppose you

are walking in the woods and you see a grizzly bear. You begin to tremble and your

heart begins to race. The James-Lange theory proposes that you will interpret your physical reactions and conclude that you are frightened ("I am trembling, therefore I am

afraid").

Example: A person sees a spider and regards it as

dangerous.

According to the James–Lange theory, the person

would

begin to shake and then experience the shaking

behavior as

fear: “I feel afraid because I am shaking”

JAMES- LANGE

The Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

Another well-know physiological theory is the

Cannon-Bard theory of emotion. This theory states that we feel

emotions and experience physiological reactions such as sweating, trembling and muscle

tension simultaneously. More specifically, it is suggested that

emotions result when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting

in a physiological reaction.

Example: A person sees a spider. According to the

Cannon–Bard theory, the person would begin to shake

and

simultaneously appraise the shaking behavior as fear:

“The

spider makes me shake and feel afraid”

CANNON- BARD

Schachter-Singer Theory

Also known as the two-factor theory of emotion

, the Schachter-Singer Theory is an example of a

cognitive theory of emotion. This theory suggests that the physiological arousal occurs first, and then the

individual must identify the reason behind this arousal in order to experience and

label it as an emotion.

Example: A person sees a spider. According to two-

factor

theory, the person, who believes spiders are

dangerous,

begins to shake and appraises the shaking as

fear: “I label

my shaking as fear because I appraised the situation as

dangerous” (

SCHACHTER- SINGER

EXPRESSION MOTION CUES PSEUDO-MUSCLES

USED

Happiness raising and lowering of

mouth corners 6 linear muscles

Sadness

lowering of mouth corners

raise inner portion of brows

6 linear muscles

Surprise

brows arch eyes open wide to

expose more white jaw drops slightly

3 linear muscles

Fear brows raised

eyes open mouth opens slightly

5 linear muscles1 sphincter for the

mouth

Disgust

upper lip is raisednose bridge is wrinkled

cheeks raised

6 linear muscles

Anger brows lowered

lips pressed firmly eyes bulging

4 linear muscles1 sphincter for the

mouth

How do you read this?

6 BASIC EMOTIONS SHARED BY HUMANS

dispositional envy scale (des)

Respond to the statements below using the following scale:

1 = strongly disagree

2 = moderately disagree

3 = neither agree nor disagree

4 = moderately agree

5 = strongly agree

_____ 1. I feel envy every day.

_____ 2. The bitter truth is that I generally feel inferior to others.

_____ 3. Feelings of envy constantly torment me.

_____ 4. It is so frustrating to see some people succeed so easily.

_____ 5. No matter what I do, envy always plagues me.

_____ 6. I am troubled by feelings of inadequacy.

_____ 7. It somehow doesn’t seem fair that some people seem to have

all the talent.

_____ 8. Frankly, the success of my neighbors makes me resent them.

THE SURVEY FOR THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITY

Have you ever engaged in the following jealous or envious

behaviors: Have they ever called a boyfriend/girlfriend unexpectedly just to see if

he or she was there? Extensively questioned a boyfriend/girlfriend about previous

or present romantic relationships? Listened in on a telephone conversation

of a boyfriend/girlfriend or secretly followed him or her? Taken advantage of

unplanned opportunities to look through a boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s belongings

for unfamiliar names, phone numbers, etc.? Have you ever

made nasty comments about someone who is better liked by friends . . . who had

possessions they wished to have . . . who was more attractive . . . who was more

successful. Discuss with them how common they believe these actions to be

among people of different ages and genders.

INFO FOR THE DES ACTIVITY