Emotions

Muralidas Dhakshala
CCP/2017/04/E/046
 Contents
 Introduction
 Emotions
o Defining Emotions
o Emotional Expression
o Types of Emotions
o Theories of Emotions
o Emotions & Psychology
o Emotions vs. Mood
o Biology of Emotions
o Influence of Culture on Emotions

 Anger
o Defining Anger
o Anger Thoughts & Behavior
o Benefits & Costs of Anger

 Happiness
o Defining Happiness
o Happiness Thoughts & Behavior
o Benefits of Happiness

 Fear
o Defining Fear
o Fear Thoughts & Behavior
o Paths of Fear

 Similarities & Differences Within Cultures

 Conclusion
 Introduction

Emotion is it is a spontaneous feeling arising from a person, thing, or experience. Emotions are

unique to each individual, are perception based, and subjective experiences. It could be argued that

emotions are the sole reason for therapeutic interventions. Emotions are too strong and upsetting or

the individual does not appear to have emotions at all.

In this assignment, I am focusing on the theme “Emotion”. Here I have briefly described the six

types of emotions and discuss fear, happiness and anger in depth. I discuss further about ‘Theories of

emotions’, ‘Biology of emotion’ and ‘Emotion vs. mood’. Here, I have also addressed the similar

and the different expressions of emotions depending on the different cultures around the world.

I have also talked in depth about how these levels of emotions can either be beneficial or harmful.

From this assignment, I mainly hope to give light to the importance of emotions on our psychology.
Emotions

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.

Our emotional states are combinations of physiological, cognitive and behavioral. Together, these
are known as the components of emotion.

These appraisals are informed by our experiences, backgrounds, and cultures. Therefore, different
people may have different emotional experiences even when faced with similar circumstances

Emotional Expression

According to the evolutionary theory of emotion, our

emotions exist because they serve an adaptive role. Emotions
motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the
environment, which helps improve the chances of success
and survival.

Understanding the emotions of other people and animals also

plays a crucial role in safety and survival. By being able to
interpret correctly the emotional displays of other people and
animals, you can respond correctly and avoid danger. Toddlers can cycle through emotions quickly,
being (a) extremely happy one moment and
(b) extremely sad the next.
Types of Emotions

 In 1972, psychologist Paul Ekman suggested that there are six basic emotions that are
universal throughout human cultures:

 During the 1980s, Robert Plutchik introduced another emotion classification system known
as the "wheel of emotions". This model demonstrated how different emotions can be
combined or mixed together, much the way an artist mixes primary colors to create other
colors.

Theories of Emotions

Over time, several different theories have been proposed to

explain emotion. Among these are appraisal theory, the James–
Lange theory, the Cannon–Bard theory, the Schechter–Singer
theory, and the facial-feedback hypothesis.
Emotions and Psychology

How emotions are experienced, processed, expressed, and managed is a topic of great interest in the
field of psychology.

The field of clinical psychology involves diagnosing and treating emotional disturbances and mental
disorders that interfere with a person’s well-being and quality of life. In many instances, such
treatment may involve emotion regulation, in which people use cognitive and behavioral strategies to
influence their own emotional experience.

Different theoretical approaches to psychotherapy may involve different strategies for emotion
regulation.

Emotions vs. Mood

The words emotion and mood are sometimes used interchangeably, but in the field of psychology
they refer to two different things.

The word emotion indicates a subjective, affective state that is often intense and that occurs in
response to a specific experience.

Mood, on the other hand, refers to a prolonged, less intense affective state that does not necessarily
occur in response to something we experience.

Biology of Emotions

Emotions follow complex biological processes that include several bodily systems. The limbic
system includes the amygdala and the hippocampus and functions as the brain’s emotional circuit.

The autonomic nervous system and reticular activating system also play an important role in the
experiencing and processing of emotions.
Influence of Culture on Emotions
Culture the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life can
have a profound impact on how people display, perceive, and experience emotions.
The culture in which we live provides structure, guidelines, expectations, and rules to help us
understand and interpret various emotions.
A “cultural display rule” is a culturally specific standard that governs the types and frequencies of
emotional displays considered acceptable by a given culture.
Cultural scripts dictate how positive and negative emotions should be experienced and displayed,
they may also guide how people choose to regulate their emotions, ultimately influencing an
individual’s emotional experience.
Cultural contexts also act as cues when people are trying to interpret facial expressions. This means
that different cultures may interpret the same social context in very different ways.
Despite different emotional display rules, our ability to recognize and produce basic facial
expressions of emotion appears to be universal.

Universal facial expressions: Research suggests the existence of seven universal emotions, each of which is
associated with a distinct facial expressions: happiness, surprise, sadness, fright, disgust, contempt, and anger
 Anger
 Anger is a natural and mostly automatic response to pain of
one form or another physical or emotional.
 Anger can occur when people don't feel well, feel rejected,
feel threatened, or experience some loss.
 Anger never occurs in isolation but rather is necessarily
preceded by pain feelings, it is often characterized as a
''secondhand'' emotion.

Anger Thoughts & Social Behavior

Anger occurs when pain is combined with some anger-triggering thought. Thoughts that can
trigger anger include personal assessments, assumptions, evaluations, or interpretations of situations
that makes people think that someone else is attempting to hurt them.

Feelings of pain, combined with anger-triggering thoughts motivate you to take action, face
threats and defend yourself by striking out against the target you think is causing you pain.

Angry people most always feel that their anger is justified. However, other people don't always
agree. The social judgment of anger creates real consequences for the angry person.

Benefits & Costs of Anger

You can use anger to convert feelings of vulnerability and helplessness into feelings of control
and power. And some people develop an unconscious habit of transforming almost all of their
vulnerable feelings into anger so they can avoid having to deal with them.
Anger generally does not resolve or address the problems that made you feel fearful or
vulnerable in the first place, and it can create new problems, including social and health issues.
 Happiness
 Happiness is a subjective experience that brings elation to
one person will not necessarily satisfy another, but from a
psychological viewpoint, we must be able to quantify this
state of mind in order to understand it.

 Psychologists often refer to happiness as positive affect, a

mood or emotional state which is brought about by generally
positive thoughts and feelings.

 Happiness comes more easily to those who have adopted a

certain way of looking at things. In this view, attitude
precedes and determines the quality of our emotional state.

Happiness Thoughts & Behaviour

When we're happy, we look at the world differently. We are more generous, expansive, and
gregarious, and less prone to making negative judgments.
Being in a happy state leads to a certain way of looking at things, a certain attitude, if you will.
People with extrovert personalities have been to found to enjoy higher levels of happiness than
introverts.

Benefits of Happiness

Happiness prior to success, it appears, boosts our intuitive abilities and enables us to achieve
more. The person who is happy has a higher chance of achieving success.
Happiness lead to a longer life and for a good health also.
Happiness may lead to increased physical activity, which in turn can be beneficial.
Interpersonal relationships demonstrated just how important the happiness of a person’s friends
and family is to their own wellbeing.
 Fear

 Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful

stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing
heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also
known as the fight-or-flight response.
 The fear response is almost entirely autonomic, we don't consciously
trigger it or even know what's going on until it has run its course.
 The purpose of fear is to protect us from danger.

Fear Thoughts & Behavior

Fear causes a variety of reactions depending on the intensity, timing, and coping options
available.
Fear also often causes cold hands, deeper and more rapid breathing, increased heart rate,
increased blood pressure, sweating, dry mouth, and trembling or tightening of the muscles, especially
in the arms and legs.
Fear expressions send a danger warning to those close by. Screaming also sends a danger
warning.
 Similarities and Differences within Cultures
When we compare the American culture and Japanese Culture, we could observe various
similarities and differences in the way emotions are expressed, by Americans and Japanese.
Americans feel free to express emotions in public while Japanese would suppress their emotions in
public and prefer to express it when their alone that is in private. According to Japanese culture, you
may harbor in tense emotion but just because you are enraged, sad, disturbed does not give you any
right to unduly bother others with your emotional ups and downs. You are supposed to keep it to
yourself.
Death of family or close friends, physical separation from
loved triggered sadness for Europeans and Americans than
Japanese. Problems in relationships triggered sadness more
frequently for Japanese.
Situation involving relationships triggered anger more
frequently for Americans than Japanese. Situations involving
strangers triggered anger more frequently for Japanese.
Americans when they smile it would have greater frequency
and greater intensity than that of a Japanese were person’s
smile.
Americans were enthusiastic while Japanese were peaceful.
Americans feel good and happy after a positive event while Japanese people that is East Asian
people generally had mixed feelings after a positive event.
Americans have a view that emotional suppressions would lead to depression while Japanese
believe that emotional suppression is not associated with depression.
 There are certain similarities in the way emotions are expressed by these two cultures. That is they
would show similar physiological response after positive and negative event and also they would
have positive emotions after a positive event.
In the similar manner the way emotions are expressed and the way these emotions are controlled
would vary from religion to religion.

In Islam, when you feel happy, you supposed to thank Allah the
great and pray special prayers thanking him. When you feel angry,
you are supposes to do ablution with water and drink a glass of water.
It is also said if that person was standing to sit down and if he/she was
standing to lying down. This is also accompanied with certain
recitals.

According to Hindu culture also, when you feel angry you

must drink water and leave that place. When you are distress
you must seek the god’s help.

According to Buddhism, nothing is permanent in

this world. It is called as “Asubha anussathi”. When
you feel angry you should understand this is anger
and should immediately practice the opposite this is
called as “Meththa anusathi” in dhamma, from your
mind you may say, may all beings be healthy, happy
and well. Like this there are ten such ways described
in dhamma called as “anusath” according to the
situation you select and practice.

According to Christianity, the bible is filled with

scriptures that warns people to guard their hearts against
emotions, such a fear, worry, anxiety, anger,
unforgiveness, jealousy & etc. When they feel angry, they
are instructed to relax and let go to of the anger. It is said
in Ephesians 4:26 “When angry, do not sin; do not ever let
your wrath last until the sun goes down” when you are
upset with someone, it is said to ask god how much mercy
he gives you every day. They are also instructed to forgive
people, pray for your enemies and treat them with
kindness.
 Conclusion

In conclusion I had like to say that, emotions play a huge part of our daily life and, they have a big
impact on how we feel which represents the actions we carry out. The expression of emotions can be
different from culture to culture and society to society.

As I have learned, our emotions serve a wide variety of purposes. Emotions can be fleeting,
persistent, powerful, complex, and even life-changing. They can motivate us to act in particular ways
and give us the tools and resources we need to interact meaningfully in our social worlds.

In order to truly understand emotions, it is important to understand the three critical components of
an emotion. Our emotions are composed of a subjective component (how we experience the
emotion) a physiological component (how our bodies react to the emotion), and an expressive
component (how we behave in response to the emotion). These different elements can play a role in
the function and purpose of our emotional responses.

However, it is possible to become more aware of our emotions. This assignment is what emotion is
all about.

Thank You.