Free Essay

Emotions

In:

Submitted By jazmin527
Words 1947
Pages 8
Emotions Paper
Psy/355
August 18, 2014

Introduction Emotion is a complex, subjective experience accompanied by biological and behavioral changes. Emotion involves feeling, thinking, and activation of the nervous system, physiological changes, and behavioral changes such as facial expressions. Different theories exist regarding how and why people experience emotions. These include evolutionary theories, the James-Lange Theory, the Cannon-Bard theory, Schacter and Singer’s two-factor theory, and cognitive appraisal.
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Walter Bradford Cannon was best known for his developments in homeostasis; however he developed a theory of emotion called the Cannon-Bard theory. In the years of 1915 to 1920, Cannon began performing experiments to suggest that emotions came before reaction. “For example, Cannon surgically removed the entire SNS of a cat and found that whilst this abolished physical signals of arousal, the cat still showed anger, fear and pleasure. Cannon therefore argued that we are capable of feeling emotion before any bodily changes have taken place”. (Open. Web) He refined his results and expanded on the views and developed this new theory that was opposite of the present theories of the time, his theory was thought to be more sensible. According to the theory, arousal is something that does not have to come before an emotion. “It is suggested that emotions result when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction”. (Cherry. Web) The thalamic region is the portion of the brain that plays a major role in this theory. Different areas of the brain react in the different theories. Most studies that are run based on this theory are performed on animals. The description on the theory is very simple; I see fire-I am afraid I begin to sweat. According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, “we react to a stimulus and experience the associated emotion at the same time”. (Cherry. Web) Our motivation to take action is based on how we react to the stimulus. “The central theory by Cannon and Bard (1929) suggests that we feel fear when we see a snake and then run away, while peripheral theory by James and Lange (1922) suggest that we feel fear since we run away from snake”. (Hori. Web) Phillip Bard, in the 1930s expanded Cannons view by studying further into emotion. He sought out to find out what may be responsible for emotion. “Bard discovered that the cerebral cortex, which had been implicated in emotional behavior, seemed to inhibit emotion and aggression”. (Open. Web) He showed that emotional behavior including motivation, and anger are controlled by portions of the brain.
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
“We have experiences, and as a result, our autonomic nervous system creates physiological events such as muscular tension, heart rate increases, perspiration, dryness of the mouth, etc. This theory proposes that emotions happen as a result of these, rather than being the cause of them”(Sincero, S. 2012).The James-Lange Theory of Emotion was introduced by 19th century scholars William James and Carl Lange. This theory presents a sequence explaining the cause-and-effect relationship between emotions and physiological events.

The following sequence summarizes this theory of emotion:

Event ==> Arousal ==> Interpretation ==> Emotion

According to the James-Lange Theory, when there is an event that stimulates an individual (arousal), the autonomic nervous system reacts by creating physiological signs such as more perspiration, a faster heartbeat, increased muscle tension, and more. The brain interprets the reactions once these events occur. Emotions are then the result of the brain’s interpretation. “In this sense, the theory is likened to the “fight-or-flight” reaction, in which the bodily sensations prepare a person to react based on the brain’s interpretation of the event and the physiological events”(Sincero, S. 2012). In an attempt to give a simple explanation of his theory, Lange related the concept to the concept of common sense. For example, our common sense would tell us that if an individual sees a bear, he may tend to feel scared and then run. According to the James-Lange Theory, encountering a bear causes the autonomic nervous system to stimulate the muscles to get tensed and the heart to beat faster. After the body experiences these changes, the emotion of fear emerges. “It is as simple as saying that statement A, ‘My heart beats faster because I am afraid.’ is more rational than statement B, ‘I am afraid because my heart beats faster’ Furthermore, Lange explained that statement B would just make the perception of the event a pure cognitive occurrence, and would be ‘destitute of emotional warmth’”(Sincero, S. 2012).

Research Methods Used for Uncovering Basic Emotions
Facial expression is one research method for uncovering basic emotions. “The reasoning related to facial expressions is that basic emotions have facial expressions that correspond with that emotion, such as a frown coincides with sadness. Ekman and Izard assert that “if there is no distinctive facial expression, then the corresponding subjective state should not be considered an emotion facial expression” (Deckers, 2010). Facial expressions are very powerful tools in showing ones emotions. No matter what your age is, there is always an emotion that shows on an individual’s face.
“The eyes are frequently referred to as the "windows to the soul" since they are capable of revealing a great deal about what a person if feeling or thinking. As you engage in conversation with another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the communication process. Some common things you may note is whether people are making direct eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they are blinking, or if their pupils are dilated”. (http://psychology.about.com)
“Facial expressions, are the result of facial muscle contractions, which induce movements of the facial skin and temporary deformations of the facial features, such as eyebrows, nose, and mouth” (p. 5). For example, an individual usually expresses sadness through his or her eyes, eyebrows, and mouth regions. Ekman asserts that “in sadness, the inner corners of brows are drawn up, skin below the eyebrow is triangulated with the inner corner up, upper eyelid inner corner is raised, corners of lips are down or the lip is trembling” (as cited in Lopatovska & Arapakis, 2010, p. 5). Facial expressions are a channel for emotions associated with the effect of the emotions, and serve as a universal language, which enriches the interactions between humans.( Lopatovska and Arapakis 2010)
Reading body language is another research method used for uncovering basic emotions. “Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. According to experts, these nonverbal signals make up a huge part of daily communication.” (About psychology) “According to various researchers, body language is thought to account for between 50 to 70 percent of all communication. Understanding body language is important, but it is also essential to remember to note other cues such as context and to look at signals as a group rather than focusing on a single action. Learn more about some of the things to look for when you are trying to interpret body language.” (About psychology)
The Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Our facial expressions can often tell another person what our thoughts or feelings are at the moment. The facial feedback hypothesis also known as FFH teaches us that the actions of an individual’s facial muscles are the personal sensation of emotions (Deckers, 2005). Free expression of a person’s physical appearance of what their emotions are is what is displayed for others to see in which followed by the emotion itself. Facial feedback seems to moderate the emotion rather than be the actual causing agent of the emotion. (Buck, 1980, p. 812). Our facial expression is what is intended on giving others an idea of what we may be feeling at the moment therefore being the result of the emotion versus the cause. An individual’s facial movement is often what the influencing factor of what others will see for example, someone who is upset yet there facial expression does not display that. We often will refer to an individual who has the ability to hide their facial expression is known as having a poker face (Buck, 1980).
Unlike the facial hypothesis where a facial expressions acts as a guide into expressing ones emotion, the event-appraisal-emotion sequence is the evaluation of emotions that is expressed based on events or assessments. An example of the event-appraisal-emotion-sequence would be a couple going out on their first date. The experience of the initial date is believed to be viewed as favorable. A person could experience different emotion such as being excited, happy or even elated because this could be the beginning of a long term effects. Some examples of long term effects would be a relationship that would lead to an engagement ultimately ending in the couple getting married. On the other hand if the initial date was not enjoyed by both parties and someone is left with negative feelings then the emotion that one feels may be sadness, disappointment or even bitterness. Both the facial feedback hypothesis and the event-appraisal-emotion structure are based on the behavior that has the ability to be motivated by either an even or an individual’s emotional feelings. No matter which one you refer to both the sequence of emotions and facial hypothesis can leave a person with a pool of thoughts and feelings. (Nerb, 2007)
Conclusion
The connection between motivation and emotions can be seen in everyday life. To show the connection this paper we discussed two of the historical theories of emotion and arousal as they relate to human motivation; the Cannon-Bard Theory and the James-Lange Theory. Facial expressions and reading body language are two research methods used for uncovering basic emotions. Finally we analyzed the facial feedback hypothesis, particularly the event-appraisal-emotion sequence. The facial feedback hypothesis also known as FFH teaches us that the actions of an individual’s facial muscles are the personal sensation of emotions (Deckers, 2005).

References Cherry, Kendra. “What is the Cannon-Bard theory?” http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/g/cannonbard.htm. Web. Retrieved, August 12, 2014 at 10:35 am. Hori, Etsuro and Tazumi, Toru. “Central and peripheral theories of emotion: –Flow of emotional process–“. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/science/article/pii/S0168010207003720. Web. Retreived, August 12 at 11:55am. Open Educational Resources. “Emotions: The Cannon-Bard theory”. http://www2.derby.ac.uk/ostrich/intro_to_bio_psych/emotion/page_05.htm. Web. Retreived, August 14 at 9:53am.
Buck, R. (1980). Nonverbal behavior and the theory of emotion: The facial feedback hypothesis. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 38(5), 811-824. Retrieved August 17, 2014
Deckers, L. (2005). Motivation: Biological, psychological, and environmental (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
Nerb, J. (2007). Exploring the dynamics of the appraisal-emotion relationship: A constraint satisfaction model of the appraisal process. Cognition & Emotion, 21(7), 1382-1413. Retrieved August16, 2014.

Sarah Mae Sincero (Nov 26, 2012). James-Lange Theory of Emotion. Retrieved Aug 17, 2014 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/james-lange-theory-of-emotion

http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/ss/understanding-body-language_3.htm
Deckers, L. (2010). Motivation: Biological, psychological, and environmental (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Lopatovska, I., & Arapakis, L. (2010, September). Theories, methods and current research on emotions in library and information science, information retrieval and human–computer interaction. Information Processing and Management, (), 1-18.
http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/ss/understanding-body-language.htm

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Emotions

...References: Dr. Sanjay Joshi, 2008, August, 12, Managing Workplace Emotions - Latest Findings: http://ezinearticles.com/?Managing-Workplace-Emotions---Latest-Findings&id=1415703 de Sousa, Ronald, "Emotion", 2010,January 14,The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring2010Edition),EdwardN.Zalta (ed.), URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2010/entries/emotion/ Wright Mackenzie, eHow contributor,2011, How Do Your Emotions Affect Your Behaviors?, http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4600645_emotions-affect-behaviors.html Antonio R. Damasio, 2005, March, 24 Scientific American Mind, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=feeling-our-emotions Term Paper on Neuropsychology (Emotional Behavior) Joy Ann F. Burgos B.S.PY-32 October 06, 2011 Emotion According to Dr. James W. Kalat, emotions are difficult to define and even more to understand completely, but somehow, these are considered as the inner feelings or states of mind that are associated with a physical change and are expressed by an outward behavior. In the scientific world, experts attempts to discover which comes first: the mental feeling, physical change or outward behavior. That’s why people have been attempting to understand this phenomenon for thousands of years and definitely will also be a debate for a thousand more. All of us have different emotional and psychological needs which cannot be ignored, over-controlled...

Words: 2341 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Emotions

...Imani Wiseman Mrs. Rash English 111 August 23, 2015 I was asked out of the five emotions (joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust) which emotion most controls my emotional panel. This question for me was extremely difficult to answer because a person goes through so many emotions every day. However, if I had to choose one emotion it would have to be anger. I often find myself being angry for some reason or another. The emotion I least identify with is disgust. I choose the emotion anger because anger has played a pivotal role in my life. It takes over a big percentage of my emotions. Anger is a very powerful emotion, in fact, it is arguably the most powerful. I’ve recently realized it doesn’t take a lot to anger me. The cause of my anger ranges from disappointment to agitation. Sometimes I am angry from things I can’t control like other peoples decisions or tragedy. Society itself has a tendency to anger me, the world just isn’t right sometimes in my eyes. It has taken me an extremely long time to realize that I can’t control anything but myself. This includes how I deal with negative emotions such as anger or sadness. Anger is what I like to call a blinding emotion. A blinding emotion is an emotion that if allowed to take control of your subconscious can sway your decision making process in a negative way. The emotion that least effect on me I disgust because I have a high tolerance for the ugly things in life. It’s kind of hard to be disgusted when nothing...

Words: 480 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Emotion

...vigorously due to strong emotion. People will have higher attraction when they cross on a fear-inducing bridge. In this experiment, young man crossed a bridge, which more than 200 feet above a river. After that, woman asked ask male to fill out a survey. When they had finished, the woman wrote cell phone number and her name on a piece of paper. Moreover, she invited them to call her if they felt interested. More than 50% of people called back her after they crossed the bridge. On the other way, significantly less people called back her if they crossed on a low solid bridge. The result showed that misattribution of arousal occurs. It is a term in psychology which describes the process of people makes a mistake when they feel aroused. People felt arousal due to the height of the bridge. They misattributed it as romantic or sexual attraction to the woman. As a result, those are more likely to call her. Arousal caused by the height of this bridge was misattributed as attraction by the male who were interviewed by an attractive female when they crossed it. In my view, emotion is combination of cognition and arousal. Initially, I think that I process emotional experiences in straightforward way. I find the target and then emotion created. For example, I had something made me unhappy and then I will feel unhappy. However, our bodies are not very logical. Most of our feeling is not happiness, but simply arousal. It’s easy to attribute this arousal to a distinct emotion. I will experience...

Words: 426 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Emotions

...Emotions have been studied for centuries. The theories on emotions have developed with the passing years. Four of the main theories, however, on emotions that I will be discussing are Darwin’s theory, the James-Lang theory, the Cannon-Bard theory, and the Limbic System. Emotions are carried out by every person. They are real, and we all feel them. Darwin’s theory was the theory of the evolution of emotion. This was also the first major event to happen with the biopsychology of emotion is 1872. Darwin believed that the expression of one’s emotions were simply the product of evolution itself. He tested and tracked this with not only man, but species as well. His theory on the evolution of expressing emotions had developed into emotions that are clearly expressed in body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions was a clear indicator of what was to come. This was for humans and animal species. The James-Lang theory is the first physiological theory. This theory was brought to light independently by William James and Carl Lang in 1884. This is the theory that an event would spark an arousal before an emotion is displayed. It is said that the autonomic and somatic responses cause the experience of emotion in the brain. This means that a person would not display an emotion until after some kind of physical happening. The Cannon-Bard theory came about in 1915 by Walter Cannon, and Philip Bard. It is the theory that arousal and emotion go off simultaneously. It just built...

Words: 478 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Emotions

...Emotions Crystal Carabin June 24, 2014 PSY 240 Emotions Darwin’s theory of emotion states that an individual’s emotions are derived from the way that they have evolved. The way that we express our emotion is based on how our behaviors have evolved to show what we are going to do in a particular situation. The James Lange theory of emotion states that our emotions are derived from the fight or flight reflex response in the autonomic nervous system. However, there are patients that have presented with major injuries that affected their autonomic nervous system and they are still able to experience emotions, so this theory does not seem to be valid. The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion states that emotion and the expression of emotion are two separate actions. These actions have equal responses from the autonomic and somatic nervous systems, yet neither of them seems to directly cause the other. This theory also seems to be invalid because it suggests that there is no mechanism that causes emotions. Finally, the limbic system theory of emotion states that the limbic system plays a major role in the way that we experience emotion. The limbic system’s influence on the hypothalamus is what dictates how we express emotions based on the impact on the cerebral cortex. There is a syndrome called Kluver-Bucy syndrome that seems to support the limbic system theory. The syndrome occurs when there is damage to the Amygdala in the limbic system. When patients experience this injury...

Words: 280 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Emotions

...In Darwin’s theory of emotions was a major event of the base that biological holds on emotions. Darwin had believed that emotions had evolved from behaviors that stem from what we would do next in any situation that they were in (Pinel, 2009) For example, when an animal is hungry, they learn to hunt and stalk their pray, if not they will not survive. The James-Lange theory consists of William James and Carl Lange, who had suggested that emotions occur after the body has responded neither to an “event” nor soon after (Pinel, 2009). An example that was used was that of a dog which would be the perception of the environmental stimulus, who is growling, then causes the body to change with a rapid heartbeat and fast breathing. The mind will then see this has emotions because its behavior has changed. The Cannon-Bard theory had gone the opposite way from the James Lange Theory, which was when Cannon had argued that even though the bodily changes are eliminated emotions are still, occurring (Pinel, 2009). Cannon had tested his theory by creating “decorticate cats and noted that when the cat was provoked had erect hair, growling and was showing the teeth, which are behaviors associated with emotions. Cannon believed that emotional behavior could not occur if there was no connection to the brain. The Limbic system of emotions was believed to receive inputs from the external world along with the internal environment and when both are combined come together that is when the emotional...

Words: 317 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Emotion

...What Are Emotions?   Emotions seem to rule our daily lives. We make decisions based on whether we are happy, angry, sad, bored, or frustrated. We choose activities and hobbies based on the emotions they incite. What exactly is an emotion?   Answer: * "An emotion is a complex psychological state that involves three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioralor expressive response." (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2007) In addition to understanding exactly what emotions are, researchers have also tried to identify and classify the different types of emotions. In 1972, psychologist Paul Eckman suggested that there are six basic emotions that are universal throughout human cultures: fear, disgust, anger, surprise, happiness, and sadness. In 1999, he expanded this list to include a number of other basic emotions including embarrassment, excitement, contempt, shame, pride, satisfaction, and amusement. During the 1980s, Robert Plutchik introduced another emotion classification system known as the "wheel of emotions." This model demonstrated how different emotions can be combined or mixed together, much the way an artist mixes primary colors to create other colors. Plutchik suggested that there are 8 primary emotional dimensions: happiness vs. sadness, anger vs. fear, trust vs. disgust, and surprise vs. anticipation. These emotions can then be combined in a variety of ways. For example, happiness and anticipation might combine to...

Words: 2372 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Emotion

...Emotion Emotion is a very complex subject that has been discussed and researched for over 100 years. There are several definitions of emotion based upon the various theories that have developed over the course of that time period. However, a working definition of emotion that can be used is that emotions are the cognitive aspect of feeling or the value judgment placed on a particular experience. Emotions have a physiological basis as was studied by Cannon who gave the first descriptions of bodily changes during simpler emotions and found that the thalamus is the center of emotion. The adrenal gland and adrenaline, acting along with the autonomic nervous system, produce the physiological changes within our bodies which we then label as emotions. (deCatanzaro 6) Papez identified the limbic system as being a critical part of many emotions. He argued that “emotions influence consciousness, and hence the cortex, and in turn higher cognitive functions influence emotions.” (deCatanzaro 81) We label these physiological changes as emotions as stated in the James-Lange theory: “physiological changes occur during emotions, and our subjective experience of these emotions involves internal sensation of these changes.” (deCatanzaro 8) The relationship between emotion and cognition can be explained by theories of emotion developed by Zajonc, Leventhal, and Schacter. According to Zajonc, emotional responses can become socialized and that emotions can occur without cognition. He argued that...

Words: 784 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Emotion

...Emotions Across the Lifespan From birth to adulthood, human emotions range from just a few such as happy and sad, to highly differentiated that give rise to bodily language, moods and feelings. The rapid development of emotions across the lifespan is based on the topology of emotion, the development of the emotional features and the developmental sequence over the first three years. In order for an emotion to occur, there must be an internal or external trigger or stimulus. In the development of a stimulus, emotions are adaptive responses to specific events in that emotions evolved to enable an individual to obtain their goal by overcoming a barrier. Moreover, emotional states can occur without an individual knowing that they are experiencing the emotion. They can also involve changes cognitive changes such as neurophysiological, hormonal, and bodily responses. As emotional expressions are observed in the face and body, they can be viewed as the manifestation of internal emotional states. Thus, in the model of emotional development, at birth, an infant shows two extreme emotions - crying and pleasure. By three months, the infant displays joy, surprise, disgust, interest and sadness. By four to six months of age, anger emerges while fear is displayed months later. By three years of age, the emotional life of a child has become differentiated as the child is already showing self-conscious emotions which results in the development of mental activity (Handbook of Emotions, 3rd...

Words: 627 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Emotions

...The word ‘emotion’ dates back to 1579, when it was adapted from the French word ‘emouvoir, which means “to stir up”. No aspect of our mental life is more important to the quality and meaning of our existence than emotions. They are what make life worth living, or sometimes ending. “In psychology an emotion is often defined as a complex state of feeling that results in physical and psychological changes that influence thought and behaviour.” David G Myers. The “James-Lange” theory of emotion after William James and Carl G Lange also defines emotion as specific feelings caused by changes in physiological conditions relating to the autonomic and motor functions. Figure1. Diagram depicting the definition of an emotion. For more than forty (40) years Paul Ekman has supported the view that emotions are discrete, measurable and physiologically distinct. Ekmans most influential work revolved around finding that certain emotions appeared to be universally recognized even in cultures that were preliterate. His research findings led him to classify six emotions as basic : sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. Sadness is an emotion that is produced from an array of visceral feelings like loss, sorrow and disadvantage (Lang, 1993). It is important to realise that the emotional state of sadness is only temporary and that the prolonged feelings of sorrow and unhappiness may be the result of an emotional disorder like depression (Haneli, Shomrat & Hess, 2009). Happiness...

Words: 1749 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Emotions

...Emotions Lynsey Felger PSY240 October 18, 2013 Carol Watson Emotions Fear is the easiest emotion to infer from behavior in various species; it plays an important adaptive function in motivating the avoidance of threatening situations and chronic fear induces stress. (Pinel, 2011, P. 443). I will discuss the theories with specific examples in order to make a better connection, more personal connections, with the theories. Darwin's believed emotions grew from manners that indicated what an animal would do next in a given situation, that when these manners were beneficial to the animal. The simplest example would be apes evolving into what we are today, humans. The James-Lange Theory was the first attempt to explain the physiological bases of emotion' suggests that emotion-inducing incentives are received and understood by the brain, which trigger instinctive changes, organ changes in the thorax or abdomen, that successively trigger the experience of emotion. An example would be when I declined talking in front of a group because I do not like it. The emotion of feeling nervous makes me automatically assume to dislike the situation. Canon-Baird Theory is an alternative theory based on the idea that emotional stimuli suggest instinctive and emotional responses are independent of one another. An example would be when I see a group of people, which I am presenting in front of, I begin to get flushed and sweat. Papez proposed a limbic system that controlled the expression...

Words: 332 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Emotions

...Biopsychology Theories on Emotion: Cannon-Bard- Unlike the James-Lange theory, Cannon and Bard believed that the stimulus of a growling bear brought to like both the symptoms and emotions at the same time. One did not determine the other meaning that signals were passed through the brain stem and both symptoms and emotion are triggered at the same time. Limbic System- controlled the expression of emotions by connections with the hypothalamus and mediated the perception of emotions by connections with the cortex. Emotion requires both emotional arousal and cognitive activity to understand the reason for the arousal so that the emotion can then be appropriately identified. Darwin- believed that body movement and facial expression were used to communicate meaning. Even though this is learned behavior it could be used for survival purposes. For example, a facial expression can make a difference in meaning on a person that is saying “no” person could be wrinkling their nose and forehead meaning that he is angry or pouting meaning they are sad. James-Lange – this theory says that a person can not know what emotion they are feeling until they have determined the symptoms after they are exposed to the stimuli. For example: A Bear is growling. That would be considered the stimulus. The heart starts beating fast, and one begins to breathe hard. This is considered the psychological changes. Lastly, the person is afraid. This is the identification of the emotion. References Pinel, J....

Words: 252 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Emotions at Work

...Crying At Work: Displaying Strong Emotions in the Workplace Tamara L. Ginter Southern New Hampshire University Crying At Work: Displaying Strong Emotions in the Workplace We all feel emotions. Yet, it is a well-known “fact” that emotions do not belong in the workplace. Business literature for decades has reinforced the stereotype that emotions negatively affect the workplace (see, for examples, Taylor, 1947; Whyte 1956). Only recently has research begun to focus on the many facets of emotions on organization behavior (Huy, 2012; Kluemper, DeGroot, & Choi, 2013; Mirela & Iulia, 2013; Muchinsky, 2000; Perrone & Vickers, 2004; Zineldin, 2012). This paper will address several aspects of emotions in the workplace, including: managing emotions, displaying emotions, management styles that use emotions as a tool, and changing an organization’s emotional climate. Managing Emotions Of the five categories of emotions defined by Lazarus and Lazarus (1994, cited in Muchinsky 2000), only two of the three categories consist of positive emotions. Muchinsky (2000) hypothesizes that it is how we respond to emotions, our coping efforts, that “are a major contributing factor in understanding job performance” (804). Several factors can make some organizations ineffective at managing emotions. The first is due to coping efforts, which are “not just a fixed set of strategies…but a changing pattern that is responsive to what is happening” (Muchinsky, 2000, p. 804). For some...

Words: 1386 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Motivation and Emotion

...PSY/211 February 10, 2013 Kurtis Armstrong Motivation and Emotion The five approaches to motivation are the instinct approach, drive-reduction approach, arousal approach, incentive approach, and cognitive approach. Each approach has a different affect on motivation. In the instinct approach psychologists believe the behavior is biologically determined and not learned (Feldman, 2010). The drive-reduction approach suggests that the motivation is driven by having to satisfy a personal need. According to Feldman (2010), “arousal approaches seek to explain behavior in which the goal is to maintain or increase excitement”. The incentive approach to motivation suggests it is driven by the environment that direct and energize behavior. The last approach is the cognitive approach, which suggests thoughts, expectations and understanding of the world are behind motivation. The main emotions identified in the text are physical, behavioral and subjective. Schachter cognitive arousal theory, also known as the two factor theory of motion two steps must take place. Physical arousal happens first, and then the person must determine the reason behind the arousal in order for it to be an emotion. In the common sense theory a stimulus leads to an emotion which then creates a response. Being student at any age can cause a person to feel various emotions. One positive emotion a student may experience is the feeling of pride. Being a student is tough work, it is a job all on its own. Knowing...

Words: 406 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Positive Emotions

...Positive Emotions as a predictor of well being in students Being a young person confronts many risk factors in daily life that have obstructive impacts at physical, emotional, cognitive and perceptual abilities and well-being and may cause serious illness, poor health, economic and social losses as well as behavioral and emotional disturbances. At such time the most important need of a person is to carry emotional well-being so that he can recover all his losses and discomforts. So, positive emotions play an important role to initiate upward spirals towards emotional well-being (Fredrickson, Barbara L; Thomas Joiner (March 2002). Well-being involves identifying, building on and operating of strengths and abilities rather than focusing on...

Words: 962 - Pages: 4