Emotion

Terms (58)

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   Emotion

   Emotion is a complex psychological state involving a subjective experience, physiological response, and behavioral expression, often triggered by a stimulus and influencing cognition and behavior.

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   James-Lange Theory

   This theory posits that emotions result from physiological responses to stimuli; for example, a racing heart leads to the feeling of fear, rather than the other way around.

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   Cannon-Bard Theory

   This theory suggests that physiological arousal and emotional experience occur simultaneously and independently when a stimulus is encountered, challenging the idea that one causes the other.

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   Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory

   This theory states that emotions arise from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive labeling of that arousal based on environmental context.

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   Cognitive Appraisal Theory

   This theory explains that emotions are determined by an individual's evaluation of a situation's relevance to their well-being, such as appraising a threat as dangerous to produce fear.

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   Fight or Flight Response

   This is an automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats, involving the sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body for immediate action, like increased heart rate and adrenaline release.

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   Amygdala

   The amygdala is a brain structure in the limbic system that processes emotions, particularly fear and pleasure, by evaluating stimuli and triggering appropriate responses.

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   Hypothalamus

   This brain region regulates basic drives and emotions by controlling the autonomic nervous system and hormone release, such as triggering hunger or stress responses.

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   Limbic System

   The limbic system is a set of brain structures involved in emotion, memory, and motivation, including the amygdala and hippocampus, which help process emotional experiences.

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    Emotional Expression

    Emotional expression refers to the outward display of internal feelings through facial expressions, body language, or vocal tones, which can influence social interactions.

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    Universal Emotions

    Universal emotions are a set of basic feelings, like happiness or fear, that are recognized across cultures through consistent facial expressions, as studied in cross-cultural psychology.

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    Paul Ekman's Basic Emotions

    Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions—happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust—as innate and universally expressed, aiding in nonverbal communication.

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    Emotional Intelligence

    Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, and manage one's own emotions and those of others, which contributes to effective social and personal functioning.

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    Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

    This hierarchy outlines human needs from basic physiological requirements to self-actualization, with emotions like esteem playing a role in higher-level fulfillment.

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    Stress and Coping

    Stress is a response to demands that exceed resources, and coping involves strategies to manage it, such as problem-solving or emotion-focused techniques to reduce anxiety.

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    General Adaptation Syndrome

    This model describes the body's three-stage response to stress—alarm, resistance, and exhaustion—where prolonged stress can lead to emotional and physical burnout.

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    Positive Emotions

    Positive emotions, such as joy or interest, broaden an individual's thought-action repertoire and build psychological resources, enhancing resilience and well-being.

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    Negative Emotions

    Negative emotions, like anger or fear, narrow focus and prompt immediate action for survival but can lead to problems if they persist without resolution.

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    Mood vs. Emotion

    A mood is a prolonged, diffuse emotional state without a clear trigger, such as feeling irritable all day, while an emotion is a short-lived, specific response to a stimulus.

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    Affect

    Affect refers to the experience of feeling or emotion, encompassing both positive and negative states that influence behavior and cognition in daily life.

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    Facial Feedback Hypothesis

    This hypothesis suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional experience, such as smiling to induce happiness by providing sensory feedback to the brain.

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    Display Rules

    Display rules are cultural norms that dictate how emotions should be expressed, such as suppressing anger in professional settings to maintain social harmony.

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    Emotional Labor

    Emotional labor is the effort required to manage one's emotions and expressions as part of a job, like service workers faking enthusiasm, which can lead to stress.

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    Empathy

    Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's emotions, fostering social bonds and prosocial behavior in interpersonal relationships.

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    Sympathy

    Sympathy involves feeling compassion for another's suffering without necessarily sharing their emotions, often motivating helping behaviors in social contexts.

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    Altruism

    Altruism is selfless behavior driven by empathy or moral values, such as helping a stranger in need, which can stem from emotional responses like compassion.

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    Attachment Theory

    This theory describes how early emotional bonds with caregivers shape later relationships, with secure attachment leading to healthier emotional development.

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    Social Learning Theory

    This theory posits that emotions and behaviors are learned through observation and imitation, such as children acquiring fear responses from parental reactions.

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    Burnout

    Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion from prolonged stress, often in demanding jobs, leading to reduced performance and cynicism.

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    Resilience

    Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from emotional adversity, such as bouncing back from loss through coping strategies and social support.

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    Grief Stages

    Kubler-Ross's model outlines five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—as emotional responses to loss, though not always in linear order.

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    Flow State

    Flow state is an optimal emotional experience of complete absorption in an activity, where challenges match skills, leading to heightened enjoyment and productivity.

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    Self-Determination Theory

    This theory links emotions to intrinsic motivation through needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, fostering well-being when these are met.

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    Intrinsic Motivation

    Intrinsic motivation is driven by internal emotional rewards, like enjoyment from a task, contrasting with extrinsic motivation from external incentives.

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    Extrinsic Motivation

    Extrinsic motivation involves pursuing activities for external emotional outcomes, such as rewards or avoidance of punishment, which can undermine intrinsic interest.

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    Locus of Control

    Locus of control is a belief about whether outcomes are controlled internally or externally, influencing emotional responses like optimism or helplessness.

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    Self-Efficacy

    Self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to succeed, which affects emotional states like confidence or anxiety when facing challenges.

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    Attribution Theory

    This theory examines how people attribute causes to events, influencing emotions; for example, blaming oneself for failure can lead to guilt.

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    Cognitive Dissonance

    Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable emotional state from holding conflicting beliefs, motivating individuals to resolve the inconsistency through behavior change.

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    Defense Mechanisms

    Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies to protect against anxiety, such as repression, where threatening emotions are blocked from awareness.

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    Freud's Id

    The id is the unconscious part of the psyche driven by primal emotions and desires, seeking immediate gratification without regard for reality.

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    Operant Conditioning

    This learning process uses rewards and punishments to shape behavior, influencing emotions like pleasure from positive reinforcement.

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    Classical Conditioning

    This is a learning process where an emotional response, such as fear, is associated with a neutral stimulus through repeated pairing, as in Pavlov's dogs.

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    Observational Learning

    Observational learning involves acquiring emotions and behaviors by watching others, such as children learning aggression from modeled emotional displays.

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    Memory and Emotion

    Emotions enhance memory encoding and retrieval, as seen in flashbulb memories of significant events, making them more vivid and long-lasting.

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    Serotonin in Emotion

    Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and emotions, with low levels often linked to depression and anxiety disorders.

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    Cortisol

    Cortisol is a stress hormone that influences emotions by preparing the body for fight or flight, but chronic elevation can lead to emotional dysregulation.

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    Polyvagal Theory

    This theory explains how the vagus nerve regulates emotional states and social behavior, linking physiological safety to feelings of calm or threat.

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    Mirror Neurons

    Mirror neurons fire both when performing an action and when observing it, enabling empathy by allowing people to simulate others' emotions.

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    Emotional Regulation

    Emotional regulation is the process of influencing which emotions are experienced and how they are expressed, crucial for mental health and social functioning.

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    Coping Strategies

    Coping strategies are methods to manage emotional stress, such as avoidance or seeking support, varying in effectiveness based on the situation.

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    Mindfulness

    Mindfulness is a practice of focusing on the present moment without judgment, helping to reduce negative emotions like anxiety through awareness.

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    Positive Psychology

    Positive psychology studies factors that contribute to emotional flourishing, such as strengths and virtues, to promote happiness beyond merely treating disorders.

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    Subjective Well-Being

    Subjective well-being is an individual's emotional evaluation of their life, including happiness and satisfaction, influenced by personality and environment.

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    Eudaimonic Happiness

    Eudaimonic happiness arises from living in accordance with one's true potential and values, contrasting with hedonic happiness from pleasure-seeking.

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    Flow Theory

    Flow theory describes the emotional state of being fully immersed in an activity, balancing challenge and skill to achieve optimal experience.

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    Peak Experiences

    Peak experiences are profound emotional highs of joy and fulfillment, often during creative or spiritual moments, as described in humanistic psychology.

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    Emotional Contagion

    Emotional contagion is the phenomenon where one person's emotions spread to others through social interaction, such as a group's shared excitement.