Emotion

Emotion Elmira Grace G. Agabon BSA I-18N Prof. Myla E. Estopace M.P Emotion, in psychology, emotion is often defined as a complex state of feeling that results in physical and psychological changes that influence thought and behavior. Emotionality is associated with a range of psychological phenomena including temperament, personality, mood and motivation. According to author David G. Meyers, human emotion involves "...physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience. Within it’s definition it really sounds so interesting. That is one of its characteristics why I chose emotion as my topic. But above all things, I pick emotion as my topic because of personal reasons. Emotion is one of the biggest problem that today’s young people facing. As a teenager, I admit that even me I am experiencing emotional problems. I am having a difficult time handling my emotions. Its really difficult to experience problems like this. At night I always ended up asking myself, Why I’m doing behavioral actions that I don’t know why I did it. “Why I am feeling this way '”,”why I feel so lonely when I should be happy'” “Why I’m not crying even I’m hurting'”, those are just some questions that disturbing me every night. Maybe for some people I’m just overreacting asking myself those questions. But it bugs me at all. I believe that doing this research could help me and many of young people understand that there is something wrong but can be cured or solved with the right actions with the help of right people. Theories Of Emotion The idea of theories of emotion can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and the cultural explosion of the Iron Age. The Stoics, Plato and Aristotle all had their own ideas about how human emotions work. The later works of scientists like Descartes and Spinoza in the 17th century and Hume in the 18th century also show complex theories of emotion. By the 19th century, empirical research began to improve and some of the more widely accepted emotional theories were created. Two of the best-known theories of the time were established by William James and Carl Lange, and Walter Cannon and Philip Bard. In the early 20th century, other theorists like Magda B. Arnold, Richard Lazarus and Robert Plutchik added greatly to the field, which began to flourish. Theories of emotion are largely concerned with the relationship between the emotion itself and the results of the emotion. By establishing why and how an emotion occurs and leads to a result, scientists can better understand human behavior. Emotion often rules the way that humans live; usually some emotions encourage positive behaviors and some stressful emotions lead to negative behaviors. Emotions can have helpful or harmful effects on human physiology, such as in the case of anxiety leading to or aggravating a number of health problems like gastrointestinal disorders and headaches. 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"). 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. 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. What Makes Up an Emotion' 1. The Cognitive (Thought) Component The first component of an emotional response is the cognitive part, or how we label an emotional experience. When we experience an emotional response, our body is going through a lot of changes. On their own, these experiences may not mean much, but when they occur in or in response to a certain situation, we recognize them as part of an emotional response. For example, if we experience an increase in our heart rate while walking down a dark alley at night, we likely will label this experience as "anxiety" or "fear." However, if we experience an increase in heart rate upon hearing that we just won an award, we would probably label this experience as "excitement" or "joy." 2. The Physiological (Bodily) Component As the name of this component implies, all emotions include some kind of bodily or physiological change. This component of an emotional response describes how our body is reacting. For example, we may experience an increase in heart rate, muscle tension, tunnel vision, or shortness of breath when experiencing anxiety or fear. These symptoms also may occur during an anger response. Psychotherapy Depending on the particular school's general emphasis either on cognitive components of emotion, physical energy discharging, or on symbolic movement and facial expression components of emotion, different schools of psychotherapy approach human emotions differently. Cognitively oriented schools approach them via their cognitive components, such as rational emotive behavior therapy. Yet others approach emotions via symbolic movement and facial expression components (like in contemporary Gestalt therapy). The Importance of Increasing Emotional Awareness By connecting with all of the different parts of an emotional experience, we can better define what emotion we are experiencing and what kind of information our emotion is giving us. For example, if a person has a fear response but he only connects with the fact that he is having a rapid heart beat, he may not act on that emotion in the best way. He may not escape a situation that is dangerous or threatening. In addition, knowing what we are experiencing makes it easier to regulate or manage our emotions. Some coping skills are going to work better for some emotions than others. Therefore, in order to effectively manage our emotions, it is important to first understand what we are experiencing and why we are experiencing it. Emotional Intelligence Theorists, such as Gardner and Sternberg, have each presented different definitions and categories of intelligence. It can be agreed that intelligence is somewhat important to land a successful career and life. Gunderman refers to emotional intelligence, as a type of intelligence, as well. He has defined it as "the ability to understand and respond to emotions in daily life". For instance, a person, who may be going through trials and tribulations, but does not face his or her emotions and tackle them, may be constantly frustrated. This said person will face troubles moving on with his or her life. Consequently, emotionally intelligent individuals are better at expressing and identifying their emotions and those of the people around them. Those who are adept at handling their emotions tend to live an easier life than those who are not. Since people with better emotional intelligence are sensitive to emotions, they are considered better team players and are family-oriented. Some researchers argue that emotional intelligence is biological, while others say it is innate. Gunderman states that emotional intelligence is a learned and an instinctual skill.[2] It can be cultivated through three means: learning more about it; draw attention to it for ourselves and others; "read books by emotionally intelligent authors, such as Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy".Through engaging in emotional expressions and regulation, it is contemplated more than before and brings forth considerable changes in life and attitude. Sy and Cote conducted a study that proved emotionally intelligent are more competent and perform better. Therefore, many companies are using EI training programs to increase matrix performance. Disorders There are few disorders that show lack of deficiency in emotional expression: * Autism * Involuntary expression disorder SUMMARY The English word emotion is derived from the French word émouvoir. This is based on the Latin emovere, where e- (variant of ex-) means "without" and movere means "move." The related term "motivation" is also derived from the word movere. Emotion is a complex  psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience."Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and motivation. Motivations direct and energize behavior, while emotions provide the affective component to motivation, positive or negative. Two types of Human Emotions  Primary emotions  Secondary emotions. Primary emotions Primary emotions are those that we feel first, as a first response to a situation. Thus, if we are threatened, we may feel fear. When we hear of a death, we may feel sadness. They are unthinking, instinctive responses that we have. We will typically see these in animals also, which confirms our suspicion that they have an evolutionary basis. Typical primary emotions include fear, anger, sadness and happiness (although it is worth noting that these can also be felt as secondary emotions).   The emotional reactions we have to other emotions. For example, a person may feel ashamed as a result of becoming anxious or sad.Secondary emotions are often caused by the beliefs we have about experiencing certain emotions. Some people may believe that being anxious or sad is a sign a weakness or says something negative about them as a person. Therefore, whenever these emotions are experienced, these thoughts come up, which trigger secondary emotions. The Behavioral Component The final part of an emotional response is the behavioral piece, or what we do (or want to do) when experiencing an emotion. Emotions prepare us for action. Therefore, one aspect of an emotional response is something called an "action tendency." An action tendency is what our emotion is preparing us to do. For example, when you experience sadness, you may feel an urge to withdraw. When you experience fear, you may feel an urge to escape the situation you are in. These urges are action tendencies. Another aspect of this component of an emotional response is how an emotion is expressed. For instance, we may cry when we experience sadness or smile when we are happy. Many different disciplines have produced work on the emotions. Human sciences study the role of emotions in mental processes, disorders, and neural mechanisms. In psychiatry, emotions are examined as part of the discipline's study and treatment of mental disorders in humans. Nursing studies emotions as part of its approach to the provision of holistic health care to humans. Psychology examines emotions from a scientific perspective by treating them as mental processes and behavior and they explore the underlying physiological and neurological processes. In neuroscience sub-fields such as social neuroscience and affective neuroscience, scientists study the neural mechanisms of emotion by combining neuroscience with the psychological study of personality, emotion, and mood. In linguistics, the expression of emotion may change to the meaning of sounds. In education, the role of emotions in relation to learning are examined. Social sciences often examine emotion for the role that it plays in human culture and social interactions. In sociology, emotions are examined for the role they play in human society, social patterns and interactions, and culture. In anthropology, the study of humanity, scholars use ethnography to undertake contextual analyses and cross-cultural comparisons of a range of human activities; some anthropology studies examine the role of emotions in human activities. In the field of communication sciences, critical organizational scholars have examined the role of emotions in organizations, from the perspectives of managers, employees, and even customers. A focus on emotions in organizations can be credited to Arlie Russell Hochschild's concept of emotional labor. The University of Queensland hosts EmoNet, an e-mail distribution list representing a network of academics that facilitates scholarly discussion of all matters relating to the study of emotion in organizational settings. The list was established in January 1997 and has over 700 members from across the globe. In economics, the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, emotions are analyzed in some sub-fields of microeconomics, in order to assess the role of emotions on purchase decision-making and risk perception. In criminology, a social science approach to the study of crime, scholars often draw on behavioral sciences, sociology, and psychology; emotions are examined in criminology issues such as anomie theory and studies of "toughness," aggressive behavior, and hooliganism. In law, which underpins civil obedience, politics, economics and society, evidence about people's emotions is often raised in tort law claims for compensation and in criminal law prosecutions against alleged lawbreakers (as evidence of the defendant's state of mind during trials, sentencing, and parole hearings). In political science, emotions are examined in a number of sub-fields, such as the analysis of voter decision-making. In philosophy, emotions are studied in sub-fields such as ethics, the philosophy of art (for example, sensory–emotional values, and matters of taste and sentimentality), and the philosophy of music (see also Music and emotion). In history, scholars examine documents and other sources to interpret and analyze past activities; speculation on the emotional state of the authors of historical documents is one of the tools of interpretation. In literature and film-making, the expression of emotion is the cornerstone of genres such as drama, melodrama, and romance. In communication studies, scholars study the role that emotion plays in the dissemination of ideas and messages. Emotion is also studied in non-human animals in ethology, a branch of zoology which focuses on the scientific study of animal behavior. Ethology is a combination of laboratory and field science, with strong ties to ecology and evolution. Ethologists often study one type of behavior (for example, aggression) in a number of unrelated animals. Reaction Emotion is a strange thing because many of us work to try to hide them from those around us. I can say that I am one of those that choose not to show their emotions very much to other people.