Emotion

Emotion

Mainstream biological and cognitive approaches
1. Traditionally explained in terms of changes in brain chemistry
2. James' feedback theory
  1. The body reacts automatically to an event
  2. Emotions are sensed in the body
  3. Event ->- bodily reaction ->- emotion occurs
3. Cannon
  1. Certain situations lead to emotion and typical behaviour follow. Different emotions can have the same symptoms
  2. Event ->- emotion occurs ->- reaction behaviour
4. Schachter's two-factor theory
  1. Agrees with both Cannon and James
  2. Autonomic activation determines intensity of the emotion
  3. Event ->- bodily reaction ->- cognition about situation ->- emotion occurs ->- reaction behaviour
  4. Study: injects participants with adrenaline. 'Euphoria' and 'Angry' conditions with stooges.
    1. Deception? Power issue of experimenter over participants
    2. Not all participants reacted in expected way
      1. Aware of experimental situation
      2. Participants were asked whether they were happy or angry - Schachter imposed his definitions onto them
    3. Ideas of appraisal - strength of theory
    4. Criticised for trying to manipulate physiological and cognitive responses separately - they work in parallel
5. Appraisal theory
  1. Focus on perceptions and interpretations of external situation rather than internal symptoms
  2. eg. deliberate action of another may result in anger
6. Emotion and social identity
  1. Emotions are affected by groups we belong to
    1. eg. can feel guilty by acts of 'group' even though not personally involved
7. Emotional labour
  1. Appraisals can be manipulated to produce desired emotional effects
  2. eg. flight attendants are naturally polite to all passengers - even rude ones!
8. Ekman's neurocultural theory
  1. Some emotions evolved as responses for survival and reproduction - autoappraisers
  2. Fear can still be learnt - can fear events that are not a threat to survival
  3. Display rules - use of emotions vary between society and cultures
  4. Study: universal emotions
    1. Participants matched pictured emotions with category of emotion - happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise are expressed the same by all humans.
    2. Criticised: Non-westerners did not complete task 100% correctly. If emotions are universal, the answers given should be more accurate.
    3. Criticised: participants were not matching faces to emotions but to words describing emotions
Discursive psychological approach
1. Edwards - Emotional discourse
  1. Uninterested in explaining emotions - emotional talk is not seen to reflect internal processes but is used the make meaning in conversations
  2. Discursive formulations of emotions are flexible and can be used in a variety of ways
  3. Emotions are constructed in discourse. Emotion words are used in conversation with others to explain events, apportion blame, defend, justify etc.
  4. Emotion words are crucially affected by historical and cultural contexts
  5. Verbal and non-verbal expressions work in conjunction to regulate relations with others
  6. We draw on emotion categories and use oppositions/contrasts in our talk, eg. or, not
  7. Rhetorical devices - eg. 'boiling' with rage
2. Linguistic categories do not correlate perfectly with facial expressions and no precision translation into all languages
3. Categories of emotion lie in the eye of the beholder - cultural meanings are imposed on experience rather than reflecting psychological reality
4. Criticises experimental 'self-report' design - does not measure emotion, just interpretation of emotional experience
5. Little evidence to suggest that all emotions are accessible, only representations of them within certain situations
Interrogative themes
1. Power and situated knowledge
  1. Experimental research has history of deceiving participants - power issue?
  2. Research is situated in theories that focus on the individual or the social
    1. Methods have manipulated the nature of emotions
  3. Discursive approach shows how emotions are used in social and cultural contexts
    1. Power to construct what is socially perceived as right or wrong - eg. boys don't cry
2. Individual-social dualism
  1. Early theories based on idea that social influence was largely irrelevant
  2. Other theories have seen the influence of social on emotion
    1. Only discursive approach has tried to eliminate the dualism - individuals emotions are constructed and applied using culturally accessible discourses
3. Agency-structure dualism
  1. Some emotions may be automatic responses to danger
  2. Can actively draw on social discourse - these choices are constrained

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	Created by Bekkie over 9 years ago