EMOTIONS

DEFINITION: An emotion is a complex

psychological state that involves three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioural or expressive response.

A strong feeling deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

WHAT ARE EMOTIONS:

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE: Many of the physical reactions you

experience during an emotion such as sweating palms, racing heartbeat, or rapid breathing are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, a branch of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary body responses such as blood flow and digestion.

THE BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE: We spend a significant amount of time

interpreting the emotional expressions of the people around us. Our ability to accurately understand these expressions is tied to what psychologists call emotional intelligence and these expressions play a major part in our overall body language. Cultural rules also play an important role in how we express and interpret emotions.

THEORIES OF EMOTION: Most theories of emotion are based on physiology, thought, and the actual emotion. The basic questions are: In what order do these occur? Do we think a certain way because of the

emotions we feel, or do we feel emotions because of how we think?

In terms of physiology, do we feel emotions because of the perception of our body reactions or do we have a physical reaction because of the emotions we are feeling?

WHAT IS EMOTION:

CHANGES DURING EMOTIONS: Following overt and covert changes occur in the body at

the time of emotion:

Face becomes red with excitement or anger; Eyes are protruded; The pupils of the eyes are dilated. Respiration becomes more rapid; The electrical resistance of the skin decreases; The blood clots more quickly at the time of injury; Blood sugar level increases to make the organism

energetic; Gastrointestinal activities decrease or even stop totally; Blood is canalized from stomach and intestine to the

motor organs and brain; The hairs stand on their roots.

PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES:Strong emotions are associated with physiological arousal, are most specifically with three kinds of changes:

1. Changes in peripheral nervous system2. Glandular changes/Role of adrenal gland3. Role of brain/Central nervous system

EMOTION AS VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION:

People express feelings and emotions in various ways including:

facial expression eyes postures gestures tone of voice body language body movement position of body