EMOTIONS
If you lacked emotion, what
would your world be like
What are Emotions?
“The spice of life” Worchel & Shebilaske
“Our divine tools with which to craft
our experiences” Walsh
DEFINING EMOTIONS
Emotions are the activation of a set
of chemicals within our bodies which
determine how we respond or react
to stimulus/stimuli.
Emotions therefore:
have cognitive and physiological
elements
influence behaviour.
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONS
THOUGHTS FEELINGS
ACTIONS
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONS
Physiological Changes
(FEELINGS)
These are changes activated by
proprioceptive stimuli, i.e., movements
of internal tissues.
(Fear sensations may induce increased
heartbeat, increased blood pressure
etc.)
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONS
Cognitive Interpretations
(THOUGHTS)
Our interpretations of the
stimulus/stimuli (perception) determine
the types of emotions felt and the level
of arousal
Physiological components of fear = Physiological
components of joy
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONS
Non Verbal Reactions
(ACTIONS)
These are observable bodily changes in
response to a stimulus or stimuli.
Smile Frown
THEORIES ON EMOTIONS
I’M AFRAID, THEREFORE I RUN
I RUN, THEREFORE I MUST BE AFRAID
Do you think these sentences are
saying the same thing?
THEORIES ON EMOTIONS
James-Lang Theory (1884)
We experience emotions only as a
result of the physiological changes and
our behavioural response to the
stimulus/stimuli. We therefore apply an
interpretation to the specific sensations
to determine our emotional response.
THEORIES ON EMOTIONS
Schachter-Singer Theory (1962) –
Emotions are determined by our
cognitive interpretations of our bodily
responses to a situation. This means
that we identify the emotions we are
experiencing by observing our
environment and comparing ourselves
with others. The same patterns of
arousal therefore may evoke different
emotions in different situations.
THEORIES ON EMOTIONS
Cannon-Bard Theory (1927)
Our emotions occur directly within the
brain – with or without signals from our
peripheral nervous system.
TWO PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF
EMOTIONS
1. Our emotions
prepares us for action Today is
just as Today I
They stimulate action – horrible as am going
(formulation of goals) yesterday to get
something
They direct action – (our
done
emotions influence how we
perceive our ability to act
and also how we perceive
our environmental
facilitation.
They sustain action – (the
intensity of our emotions
keeps us moving towards our
goals)
TWO PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF
EMOTIONS
2. Our emotions help us to regulate our
social interactions.
We make judgments of a situation/our
environment in order to determine the
appropriate emotions. … True or
False?
Is this what emotional
intelligence is all about?
TYPES OF EMOTIONS
Primary – simple
forms of emotions
Mixed –
Combination of
primary emotions.
TYPES OF EMOTIONS
Intense
Mild
(these speak to the
degrees of feelings
associated with our
emotions)
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
(Guidelines)
HOW DO YOU FEEL????
1. Recognize your feelings
Physiological changes
Awareness of non-verbal behaviours
Awareness of cognitive processes (your thoughts)
Analyze the verbal message you send to others
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
(Guidelines)
2. Think about how to describe your feelings
There are several ways to express our feelings verbally ;
i) By using a single word
(I am … excited, depressed, curious…etc)
ii) By describing what is happening to you
(My heart is racing, I’m on top of the world)
iii) By describing what you would like to do
(I want to run away right now, I feel like giving up)
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
(Guidelines)
3. Share Multiple feelings
4. Recognise the difference between
feeling, talking and acting
5. Accept responsibility for your feelings
6. Consider when and where to express
your feelings
EMOTION & CONGNITION
How Affect Influence Cognition
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
Albert Ellis
Cognitive Therapy
Aaron Beck
What is REBT?
Core assumption of REBT – human thinking
and emotions are significantly interrelated
ABC Model – neurotic symptoms or
concequences (C) are determined by a person’s
belief systems (B) regarding a particular
activating experience or event (A)
It is not the event (A) for e.g. being jilted by a lover
or being called names, that cause people to feel
bad but rather the beliefs they hold (B) (thoughts,
self talk) about these events, which gives rise to
emotional upset or particular behavioural
response (C)
What is REBT?
Example
Example A: Imagine walking by a friend’s house
and see your friend stick his head out of a window
and call you a string of vile names. Under these
circumstances it’s likely that you would feel hurt
and upset.
Example B: Now imagine that instead of walking
by the house, you were passing a mental
institution when the same friend, who was
obviously a patient there, shouted the same vile
names at you. In this case, you feelings would
probably be quite different – most likely sadness
or pity.
What is REBT?
Discussion:
In the first case, you may think your friend is very
angry with you; further, you might imagine that
you must have done something terrible to
deserve such a response.
In the second case you would probably assume
that your friend has some psychological difficulty
and most likely would feel sympathetic.
Principle from the examples:
○ It’s the interpretations that people make of an event,
during the process of self talk that determine their
feelings, thus the model for emotions look like this:
What is REBT?
Discussion:
Event Beliefs Feeling
(Thoughts) (Behaviour)
Being called names “I’ve done something wrong hurt, upset
Being called names “My friend must be sick concern,
sympathy
EMOTION & CONGNITION
How Affect Influence Cognition
Our moods or affective states influences our
perception of ambiguous stimuli
Perceive and evaluate these stimuli more favourably
when we are in a good mood (Baron, 1987, 1993)
Positive and negative moods exert strong
influence over memory
Information consistent with our current mood is easier
to remember than those that do no (Forgas, 1991)
Our current moods often influence the process
of decision making
EMOTION & CONGNITION
How Cognition Influence Emotion
Through the activation of schemas containing
a strong affective component.
Determine how we interpret or appraise those
events.
Recall Rational Emotive Therapy
Recall Schacther-Singer two-factor theory – emotions
and feelings we experience are strongly determined
by the interpretation or cognitive labels we select.
The impact of our expectancies on our
emotional reactions
MANAGING DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
Managing our emotions is an important factor in
creating and sustaining positive interpersonal
relationships.
In order to manage our emotions well, we
must be able to identify the kinds of emotions
that contribute to effective functioning and
those that contribute to ineffective
functioning.
We call these facilitative and debilitative
emotions
MANAGING DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
Facilitative Emotions Debilitative
Emotions
Irritation/Anger Rage
Nervousness Terror
Suspicion Paranoia
……but these differences are not so
straightforward….
Intensity and duration are important factors in
determining whether our emotions are facilitative
or debilitative!
MANAGING DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
IRRATIONAL THINKING AND
DEBILITATIVE EMOTIONS
(Fallacies)
1. The fallacy of perfection – Every
capable, bright, effective individual
handles every situation with
complete confidence and skills.
MANAGING DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
2. The fallacy of approval – it is vital,
not just desirable to get approval
from everyone
3. The fallacy of shoulds – there is no
distinction between what is and
what should be
MANAGING DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
4. The fallacy of causation – Emotions
are caused by others rather than
one’s own self-talk
5. The fallacy of helplessness –
Satisfaction in life is determined by
sources beyond our control
MINIMISING DEBILITATIVE
EMOTIONS
Monitor your emotional reactions
Recognize when the debilitative
feeling occurs through
proprioceptive stimuli
Note the activating event
What event triggered your
response
MINIMISING DEBILITATIVE
EMOTIONS
Record your self talk
Analyze the thoughts that are
the link between the activating
event and the feeling
Write down your self-talk –
recognize your internal monolog
and thus helps to identify your
thoughts quickly and easily
MINIMISING DEBILITATIVE
EMOTIONS
Dispute your irrational beliefs
Decide whether the belief you
recorded is rational or
irrational
Explain why the belief does or
does not make sense
Write down an alternative way
of thinking that is more sensible
and leave you feeling better in a
similar event in the future
HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT
NOW?????
END OF
PRESENTATION