Emotions give life so much of its dimension and depth. Although emotions can sometimes diminish the quality of existence, they also often enrich life. the ups and downs associated with our emotional states give life something of the quality of a roller-coaster-life
Emotions: What Are They?
An emotion is, at the physiological level, a disruption in homeostatic baselines. There are changes in heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. These are fluctuations in arousal. At the psychological level, these physiological changes are experienced as either greater excitement or increased calmness. Human beings also experience these changes as either pleasant or unpleasant. The pleasant-unpleasant dimension of emotions is identified as hedonic tone.
The two dimensions of emotions generate four categories of emotions: (1) excitement-pleasant, such as happy, joy, and ecstasy; (2) excitement-unpleasant, such as anger, fear, and rage; (3) calm-pleasant, such as relaxed, blissful, and tranquil; and (4) calmunpleasant, such as sad, melancholy, and depressed.
There are three aspects to all emotions:(1) cognitive, (2) physiological, and (3) behavioral. The cognitive aspect of emotions refers to what one is thinking when one feels an emotion. The physiological aspect of emotions refers to the disruption of homeostatic baselines. As already indicated, emotions are associated with either increased or decreased arousal. Fear is associated with increased arousal. Depression is associated with decreased arousal. The behavioral aspect of emotions refers to what people do when they feel an emotion, what actions they take.
Theories of Emotion: Explaining the Process
There are three principal theories of emotion that attempt to explain the general emotional process: (1) the James-Lange theory, (2) the Cannon-Bard theory, and (3) the cognitive appraisal theory.
The James-Lange theory was proposed independently by two men, William James in the United States and Carl Lange in Denmark. The theory states that an emotion can be induced by an action.
The Cannon-Bard theory, also known as the thalamic theory, is based on the collaboration of the two researchers Walter B. Cannon and Philip Bard. The Cannon-Bard theory recognizes that the brain’s thalamus is a relay station. When information comes in from the senses and arrives at the thalamus, the information is simultaneously sent up to the cortex and down to the spinal cord. This means that we become conscious of the cause of an emotion at the same time that our body is preparing to deal with it by making changes in physiological arousal.
Proposed by the researcher Stanley Schachter, the cognitive appraisal theory, also known as the labeling-of-arousal hypothesis, states that a person’s self-labeling of a state of arousal converts that state into a specific emotion.
Stress and Health: Wear and Tear Takes Its Toll
It is widely recognized that increases in arousal tend to be associated with stress. A formal distinction is made between a stressor and stress. A stressor refers to the source, or cause, of stress. The loss of a job, an argument with a spouse, a conflict situation, excessive cold or heat, and a physical threat are examples of stressors. Stress refers to wear and tear on the body. Chronic stress takes a toll. The body loses some of its resiliance, its ability to bounce back.
Conflict: Making Difficult Choices
Conflict is an important source of stress. Psychological conflict exists when we are forced to make difficult choices in life. According to the social psychologist Kurt Lewin, there are four basic ways to categorize conflict situations:
The approach-approach conflict exists when an individual is presented with two desirable alternatives, but only one alternative can be obtained. Desirable alternatives are termed positive goals. An avoidance-avoidance conflict exists when the individual wants to either escape from or avoid two undesirable alternatives. Undesirable alternatives are termed negative goals. The central problem with this kind of conflict is that moving away from one negative goal takes one in the direction of the other negative goal
Associated with the research of the anthropologist Gregory Bateson, a term sometimes used to identify an avoidance-avoidance conflict is a double bind. A double bind is a no-win situation. Whatever the individual does, there is a sense of failure or loss.
An approach-avoidance conflict exists when an individual perceives the same goal in both positive and negative terms. A double approach-avoidance conflict exists when an individual simultaneously perceives two goals in both positive and negative terms. This conflict is a more complex version of the singular approach-avoidance conflict.
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