User:CFD/sandbox

What is an emotion and why do we have them?
Emotions are defined as episodic, short lived, biologically based patterns of perception, experience related, physiological, action and communication oriented that occur in response to specific physical and social challenges and opportunities (Levinson, 1999).

Although it has been argued that emotions serve no useful function and seemingly cause us to behave irrationally, illogically and impair our cognitive processes, theorists have argued that emotions serve as important adaptive functions that regulate the individual’s relationship to the external environment (Gross, 1999; Keltner & Gross, 1999).

The question of whether emotions are useless and dysfunctional or adaptive and functional may rely on whether we are capable of emotional self-regulation or whether we happen to be regulated by our emotion (Gross, 1999). Biological theories hold that emotions are governed by sub cortical brain structures and pathways and are therefore considered to be largely involuntary responses while cognitive theories hold that emotions are generated by thoughts, beliefs and may therefore be derived through voluntary control (Reeves, 2009). The two theories are described in more detail below.

Test yourself

{Emotions are short lived responses to changes we experience. + True - False
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{Emotions are: - useless and dysfunctional. + can be useless and dysfunction, or functional and adaptive, depending on emotional self-regulation. - adaptive and functional.
 * type=""}

Biological perspective
The biological theory emanates from the James-Lange theory of emotion. This theory specified that different emotions produce distinguishable patterns of bodily activity, such as anger producing an increase in blood pressure (Reeve, 2009). Furthermore, modern research has established that physiological arousal regulates emotion but does not necessarily cause it. Instead emotions mobilise the automatic nervous system (ANS) to support adaptive behaviours such as the fight or flight response (Reeve, 2009).

According to Izard (1993), a multisystem model for emotion activation consists of neural, sensorimotor, motivational and cognitive systems. In particular, all emotional activation must involve a neural system but neural systems can still activate emotions independently of the other three activation systems (Izard, 1993). Brain structures such as the amygdala and specific neurotransmitters are associated with the activation of negative pattern of emotions in people who experience depression and anxiety while the limbic system and its associated dopamine pathways support a positive affect (Izard, 1993; Reeve, 2009).

Each system activates emotions differently. In the sensorimotor system, an afferant feedback signal from muscle activity triggers emotions. While in the motivational system drive states, such as pain, activate emotions, and in the cognitive system emotions are activated by appraisal and attribution processes (Izard, 1993). Izard argues that this biological perspective is based on a loosely organized hierarchical system of emotional activators from the simplest level (neural), which is always necessary and sufficient to activate emotions, to the highest level (cognitive), which involves a more complex processing of inference and attribution to activate emotions.

Cognitive perspective
Lazarus (1999), states that the key role in emotion is demonstrated by a cognitive appraisal, which is an evaluation that depends on motivation and personal meaning. Although cognition is a necessary condition of emotion, the functional relationship between cognition and emotion are bidirectional (Lazarus 1991). Emotions such as anger or disappointment are not activated by the automatic nervous system (ANS) but from a cognitive, social or even cultural perspective (Lazarus, 1991). However, once the emotion occurs it sets the stage for the next appraisal and emotion. For example we may feel ashamed by the expression of angry behaviour because we appraise it as an unwarranted personal lapse and subsequently, anger could be said to have generated the shame resulting in a bidirectional effect (Lazarus, 1991).

There are also individual differences in the appraisal-emotion relationship with certain primary relationships being stronger than non-primary relationships (Nezlek & Vansteelandt, 2008). Instead of appraisals and emotion being associated with a one on one relationship, research has shown that emotions can be associated with different appraisal profiles, and that appraisals can elicit different types of emotions because individuals may differ on the interpretation on what specific emotional experiences mean to them (Nezlek & Vansteelandt, 2008). One individual may feel angry because of strong feelings related to blaming others, whereas another individual may experience other blame less central to the experience of anger (Nezlek & Vansteelandt, 2008). The appraisal theory of emotion includes a primary and secondary process.

Test yourself

{Izard's multisystem model includes: - biological, physical, emotional and cognitive systems. + neural, sensorimotor, motivational and cognitive systems.
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{Lazarus' model states that cognitive appraisal drives emotional states. + True - False
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