Emotion

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Emotion
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Todays Menu

• What are emotions?
• Why do we experience emotions?
• Are they helpful? Harmful?
• When are they helpful vs. harmful?
• Individual differences?
• How can we use emotions in applied settings?

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Definition

• Emotions are brief feeling states characterized
  by physiological arousal, behaviors, and
  cognitive appraisals (Kassin, 2004).

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Fear
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Fear
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Are Emotions Useful?

• Appear adaptive
• Countless contradictory examples
• Angry Professor
• Road Rage

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Historical Views

• Stoicism
• 3rd Century BC
• Founded by Zeno
• Virtue is knowledge
• Emotions are destructive

• Zeno

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Historical Views

• Robert Woodworth (1940)
• IQ tests should demonstrate the absence of fear,
  anger, grief, and other emotions characteristic
  of younger children

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Modern Life
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Functions of Emotions

• Functional
• Adaptive, helpful, beneficial
• Relationship with the environment
• Provide information to self/others
• Direct cognitive resources

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Questions Guiding Functionalism

• Why do emotions exist?
• What problems can they solve?
• What are the effects of emotions?
• How can dysfunction be explained?

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What Causes Emotional Experience?

• James-Lang (1890)
• Physiology/Behavior ? Emotion
• You feel fear because your heart is pounding

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What Causes Emotional Experience?

• Cannon-Bard (1927)
• Problems with James-Lang
• Feelings sometimes precede physiology
• Same physiology ? different emotions

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What Causes Emotional Experience?

• Cannon-Bard (1927)
• Physiology, behavior, feelings are simultaneous
• Debate unresolved
• James-Lang still influential

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The Cognitive Component

• Stanley Schachters (1962) Two-Factor Theory
• Physiology cognitions both ? emotion
• Cognitive appraisals of physiology

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The Cognitive Component

• Misattribution of arousal
• Dutton Aron (1974)
• British Columbias Capilano River
• Attractive female researcher approached men to do
  a study
• Arousal dependent on type of bridge
• Researcher gives home phone in case they have
  questions

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Dutton Aron (1974)
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What Are the Emotions?
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What Are the Emotions?

• Evolutionary vs. social construction perspectives

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What are the Emotions?

• Basic emotions
• Fundamentally distinct from each other
• Natural elements of human experience
• Evolutionary bases

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Basic Emotions

• Criteria
• Universal (all societies/languages)
• Functional
• Evident early in life
• Form of behavioral expression
• Distinct physiological basis

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What are the Emotions?

• Basic Emotions
• Anger
• Joy
• Fear
• Disgust
• Sadness
• Surprise

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Anger

• What makes you ANGRY?
• What themes emerge in these triggers?
• What do you DO when angry?

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Anger

• Anger
• Cognitive appraisals of violations of our rights
• Physiological arousal
• Ready to attack
• Behavioral desire to hurt or deter offender
• Hey, that hurt! Dont do it again.

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Benefits of Anger?

• Sinaceur Tiedens (2006)
• Role playing job negotiation (salary, vacation
  time)
• Candidate or recruiter
• Recruiter Neutral or angry expressions

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Anger and Negotiation
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Anger in Negotiation

• Anger makes one appear tough
• Back off

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Anger and Modern Life

• Surely anger isnt ALWAYS beneficial, right?
• Right!
• So when is anger beneficial and when harmful?

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Fear
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Fear

• Adaptive qualities of fear
• Narrowing of attention
• Physiological preparation for flight
• Motivation to seek safety

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Perception of Health Risks
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Optimism and Emotion
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Public Safety and Emotion
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Public Safety and Emotion
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Control Appraisals
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Certainty Appraisals
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Fear

• Fear isnt always good, right?
• Pathological fear ? anxiety disorders

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Summary

• Basic emotions have functions
• Anger and fear can be beneficial or harmful