Emotions I

Why Emotions?
Classification of Emotions
Emotion and Reason

Why Emotions?
n Emotions seem to “take control” on occasion,
biasing our perceptions and motivating us to
behave in particular ways.
n We sometimes do things that seem irrational
when under the influence of the “passions,”
and we tend to hold a person less
accountable for such acts.
n So why do we have emotions? What are they
for?

What Emotions Are For

n Emotions are brain mechanisms that
have evolved to promote the “right”
behaviors under certain commonly
encountered circumstances.
n Emotions add an evaluative dimension
to experience, which turns out to be
crucial for rational decision-making.

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Components of an Emotion
n Affect
n This is subjective feeling: happiness, sadness,
anger, etc.
n Cognitive reaction
n You recognize, or “know” what happened.
n Physiological reaction
n Internal changes occur involving the autonomic
nervous system and hormones.
n Behavioral reaction
n You feel disposed to behave in particular ways,
depending on the emotion (e.g., lashing out at
someone when angry).

Classifying the Emotions

n Several attempts have been made to
classify emotions.
n Such schemes try to identify “primary”
or “basic” emotions. Other emotions
are then viewed as combinations of the
primary emotions.
n Two such schemes were provided by
Robert Plutchik and Richard Lazarus

Plutchik’s Classification
n Eight primary emotions
n Each emotion has associated with it a
n Common stimulus
n Typical behavior
n Each emotion can vary in intensity;
emotions we give different names may
be the same emotion at various
intensities.

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 Plutchik’s Eight Primary
Emotions (First Four)
Anger Blocking of goal- Destruction of
directed behavior Obstacle

Fear Threat or danger Protection

Sadness Loss of Search for help

something valued and comfort

Disgust Something Rejection;

gruesome or pushing away
loathsome

Plutchik’s Eight Primary

Emotions (Last Four)
Surprise A sudden, novel Orientation;
stimulus turning toward

Curiosity A new place or Exploration and

environment searching

Acceptance A member of Sharing; taking

one’s own group; in; incorporating
something of
value
Joy Potential mate Reproduction;
courting; mating

Lazarus’ Classification
n Richard Lazarus proposed a system of fifteen
basic emotions.
n He associated each of these with a “relational
theme” – a specific relationship or interaction
between people and their environments.
n Examples
n Anger: Relational theme is a demeaning offense
against me and mine.
n Guilt: Having transgressed a moral imperative.

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Emotion and Reason
n Behavior promoted by emotions may not suit
the current circumstances so that it appears
irrational or produces undesirable effects.
n Examples: Attacking the boss for not giving you
an expected raise; Poor public -speaking
performance due to evaluation apprehension.
n Antonio Damasio proposed, based on clinical
studies of brain-damaged individuals, that
solid decision-making requires input from
emotional-evaluative systems.