Human Motivation and
Emotion
46-332-01
Dr. Fuschia Sirois
Lecture 16 Nov. 7, 2006
Lecture 17 Nov. 9, 2006
PART 3: Emotions
1
The Nature of Emotions
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What is an emotion?
What causes an emotion?
How many emotions are there?
What good are the emotions?
What is the difference between emotion
and mood?
What is an emotion?
Multidimensional
{
{
{
Subjective, biological, purposive, social
phenomena
Psychological construct that unites 4 aspects of
experience
Feelings only one aspect
2
What is an emotion?
Feelings
Bodily Arousal
•Subjective experience
•Phenomenological
awareness
•Cognition
•Physiological activation
•Bodily preparation for
action
•Motor responses
Emotion
Sense of Purpose
•Goal-directed
motivational state
•Functional aspect
Significant
Life Event
Social Expressive
•Social communication
•Facial expression
•Vocal expression
Emotion and Motivation
{
One type of motive
z
{
Primary motive vs. reaction that provides
motivation
Indicator of progress towards goal,
satisfaction of needs and drives
3
What Causes an Emotion?
{
{
Triggered by significant life events
Biological perspective
z
z
z
{
Activated by neural activity, facial expressions
Cognitions not required
E.g., Izard
Cognitive perspective
z
z
z
Appraisal of meaning of event causes emotion
E.g., Lazarus
{ Potential impact on well-being
E.g., Weiner: attribution analyses of emotion
Izard’s Differential Emotions Theory
(DET)
{ Each
basic (discrete) emotion has three
components:
z
z
z
{
Neural
Motor-expressive
Mental
demonstrated by emotions of infants
z
Cognitively limited yet emotions are expressed
4
How many emotions are there?
{
Biological perspective
z
z
z
{
Primary emotions
few in number, universal
Easily recognized across cultures
Gray’s model
z
z
z
BIS: anxiety
BAS: Joy
Flight/fight: anger fear
The Six Universal Emotions
Emotion Continuum
Happiness Surprise Fear
Sadness
Anger
Disgust
Based on R. D. Woodworth, Experimental Psychology (New York: Holt, 1938).
5
Plutchik’s 8 basic emotions
6
How many emotions are there?
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Cognitive perspective
{
Secondary emotions
Multiple emotions from single physiological
reaction
z
z
z
z
Situation can provide context for interpretation
(Schachter, 1964)
Personal or socialized interpretation of aroused
states
Appraisals, attributions, memory
Schacter-Singer 2-Factor Theory
We have the feeling of an emotion when two factors are
present: we are physiologically aroused, and we
interpret that arousal in terms of a specific emotion
based on the situation we are in.
“Scary dog”
Fear
7
How many emotions are there?
Basic emotions
{
{
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Innate
Arise from same circumstances
Expressed uniquely and distinctly
Evoke predictable physiological response
z Fear
z Anger
z Disgust
z Sadness
z Threat and Harm
z Joy
z Interest
z Motive involvement
What good are the emotions?
{
Coping functions
z
z
{
Social functions
z
z
z
z
{
Emotion produced behaviours to adapt to
environmental demands/challenges
Ingrained ways of dealing with fundamental life
tasks
Communication of feelings to others
Influence interactions with others
Invite social interaction
Create, maintain and dissolve relationships
Function vs. dysfunction
z
Depends on self-regulation
8
Plutchik’s Model
What is the difference between
emotion and mood?
{
Different
z
z
z
{
Antecedents
Action specify
Time course
Positive and negative affect
z
z
z
z
States as mood
Approach and avoidance motivational systems
PA: dopamine
NA: seratonin and noradrenaline
9
Positive Emotions & SWB
Fredrickson (1998): emotions are
evolutionarily and adaptive
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form & function of pos. & neg. emotions
are distinct and complementary
Broaden-and-build model of positive
emotions
z
z
Neg. emotions function
Pos. emotions function
Positive Emotions
Joy -
creates the urge to play, invites exploration,
and openness to new possibilities
Interest - arises when the situation offers novelty,
change, challenge, possibility, or mystery
Contentment - arises when the situation is safe, certain,
and requires little effort
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Positive Emotions
Positive emotions “undo” the prepatory
effects of negative emotions
{
{
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counteracts physiological reactions associated
with neg. emotions & returns levels to baseline
broadens the narrow cognitive focus associated
with neg. emotions and leads to an awareness
of more possibilities for dealing with situations
Positive emotions are associated with
Lazarus & Folkman (1984)
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Ways of coping scale (revised)
(Folkman et al., 1986)
{ Confrontive
z
Coping
Stood my ground and fought for what I wanted.
{ Distancing
z
Made light of the situation; Refused to get too
serious about it.
{ Self-Controlling
z
I tried to keep my feelings to myself.
{ Seeking
z
Social Support
Talked to someone to find out more about the
situation.
Ways of coping scale (revised)
(Folkman et al., 1986)
{ Accepting
z
Responsibility
Criticised or lectured myself.
{ Escape-Avoidance
z
Wished that the situation would go away or
somehow be over with.
{ Planful
z
Problem Solving
I knew what had to be done, so I doubled my efforts
to make things work.
{ Positive
z
Reappraisal
Changed or grew as a person in a good way.
12
COPE(Carver et al., 1989)
{ Problem
z
z
z
z
z
{ Emotion
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
focused coping
Seeking of emotional social support
Positive reinterpretation
Acceptance
Denial
Turning to religion
{ Arguably
z
focused coping
Active coping
Planning
Suppression of competing activities
Restraint coping
Seeking of instrumental social support
less useful strategies
Focus on and venting of emotions
Behavioural disengagement
Mental disengagement
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