Most of the time human behaviors are influenced by their emotions either instantly or in a period of time. It would be such a dampen life without feelings like joy and sorrow, excitement and despair, love and hatred, hope and dismay. These emotions make human feel more alive. We know that emotion involves bodily response. Some of these responses can be noticeable such as feeling like having butterflies in our stomach when fear arises, but some other responses are vaguer to be discern, for example, our neurons being activated in the brain. But what, exactly, is emotion? Derived from the Latin word movere, which means “to move”, emotions can move us to act, triggering motivated behavior (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Being said that, emotion involves three distinct components: a subjective experience, a psychological response, and a behavioral or expressive response and sometimes can be a combination of all, making it a complex psychological state (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). This essay will seek to outline what emotions are, the common theories of emotion and the purposes of having emotions in our lives.
For so many years, various psychologists have actively wrangle over theories to explain emotions. Like many controversies in psychology, the debate helped state the path of psychological research and the earliest psychological theory of emotion, proposed by William James more than a century ago, perpetuates to bring impact towards other psychological researches (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). According to Cherry (2017), there are a lot of theories of emotion be dissimilar in terms of which component of emotion being emphasized, either physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience. In short and sweet, psychological theories propose that responses within the body are responsible for emotions while neurological theories advocate that activity within the brain advance to emotional responses. Lastly, cognitive theories proclaim that thoughts and other mental activity play a vital role in forming emotions. Here are some common theories of emotion in psychology.
According to Hockenbury & Hockenbury in 2013, the earliest scientist who did a systematic study on emotion was Charles Darwin. He propounds that emotions evolved due to emotion being able to be adaptive and allowed humans and animals to survive and reproduce, or as he called it, the evolutionary theory of emotion. The chances of success and survival can be improved as people are motivated by their emotions to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment (Cherry, 2017). The ability to comprehend the emotions of humans and animals plays a vital role in safety and survival. For instance, if we encounter a hissing poisonous snake, the odds are we will instantly be realized that the snake is in fear or defensive and leave it alone. Thus, being able to comprehend the emotions of humans and animals, we can respond rightfully and prevent danger towards ourselves. Another psychological theory of emotion is the James-Lange theory, which is independently proposed by the psychologist Willian James in 1884 and a Danish psychologist Carl Lange about the same time, proposed that emotions occur as a result of our perception of biological and behavioral responses to events (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Our emotional reaction depends on how we construe those physical reactions. In a typical case where you stumble upon a grizzly bear while you are walking in the woods. You will feel afraid, making your heart pounded and you ran. The James-Lange theory proposed that your subjective feeling of fearfulness is induced by the feedback from your physiological arousal and from the muscles involved in your behavior (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Thus, James believed we feel frightened because our heart pounded.
The James-Lange theory inspired a great deal of research, although most of it consisting of attempts to refute the theory. According to Hockenbury & Hockenbury in 2013, the famous American physiologist Walter Cannon opposed the James-Lange theory in 1927 on several different grounds which then later elaborated on by physiologist Philip Bard in the 1930s. First, Cannon argue that our subjective experience of various emotions is very different although our body reactions are similar for various emotions. For instance, our heart might race due to we have been exercising and not due to of fear itself. Furthermore, Cannon also pointed that “our emotional reaction to a stimulus is often faster than our physiological reaction” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). To give an example, whenever we face a danger, we will often feel afraid before we begin to experience the physical symptoms related with fear like rapid breathing, a racing heart and shaking hands. The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion proposes that the physical and psychological experience of emotion occur concurrently and that one does not affect the other.
The research on the facial-feedback theory of emotion also supports the conception that our bodily responses affect our subjective experience. Soussignan in 2004 stated that facial-feedback theory proclaims by expressing a specific emotion, especially facially, making us to subjectively experience the particular emotion (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Physiological responses usually had a head-on impact on emotion, instead of simply being an outcome of the emotion itself, as being alluded to by Charles Darwin and William James (Cherry, 2017). Supporters of this theory suggest that emotions tend to be reflected when people mimic the facial expressions characteristic of a given emotion. To give an example, people who deliberately creating a pleasant smile at a social event will have a better time at the function compared to if they had scowled or showed a neutral facial expression. Collectively, the evidence for the facial-feedback theory of emotion supports to the James-Lange theory.
The second theory of emotion, advocated by Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer during in 1960s is the Schachter-Singer Theory or also known as the two-factor theory of emotion emphasizes the cognitive component of emotions. According to this theory, emotion is the product of the “interaction of physiological arousal and the cognitive label we use to explain our stirred-up state” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Schacter and Singer’s theory agrees with both the James-Lange theory and the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion. According to Schachter and Singer (1962), they conformed with James that the central element in emotion is physiological arousal, while also accorded with Cannon that physiologival arousal is pretty much alike for various emotions (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). For instance, if you experience a racing heart and sweating palms during an important math exam, you will probably identify the emotion as anxiety. If you experience the same physical responses on a date with your significant other, you might interpret those responses as love, affection, or arousal. The Schachter and Singer’s theory inspired a flurry of research, and one of them is the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion which was developed by psychologists Craig Smith and Richard Lazarus back in 1988 and 1993 respectively (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). According to this theory, our cognitive interpretation, or appraisal, of the situation or stimulus is the important aspects of our emotional experience. For example, if you encounter a bear in the woods, you might immediately begin to think that you are in great danger. This then leads to the emotional experience of fear and the physical reactions associated with the fight-or-flight response.
Emotional processes are very much related to motivational processes. Cherry (2017) explained that different elements of emotion can play a role in the function and purpose of our emotional response. First and foremost, emotions can make human to take an action in their daily live decisions, either quick-witted decisions or a life-long one. For example, students who are having important examinations such as university entrance exam or final semester exam, they might definitely feel agitated about whether they will be able to perform well and how the examinations will impact their next step in their life or final grade. Due to these emotional responses, they might be more likely to study. Since they experienced a particular emotion, they will have the motivation to act and do something constructive to enhance their chances of getting into the top universities and to pass the exam with flying colors. Plus, humans’ propensity for taking certain actions in order to maximize positive emotions and minimize the experience of negative emotions (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). For instances, we might seek out social activities or hobbies that provide us with a sense of happiness, contentment, and excitement. On the other hand, we would probably give a wide berth towards situations that might potentially lead to boredom, sadness, or fear.
Another role of emotion is to help us outlive, thrive and evade danger. Cherry (2017) wrote that Charles Darwin, one of the earliest scientists to systematically study emotions, believed that emotions manifest evolutionary adaptations to the problems of survival and reproduction. When we are angry, we are likely to confront the source of our irritation. When we experience fear, we are more likely to flee the threat. When we feel love, we might seek out a mate and reproduce. Emotions serve an adaptive role in our lives by motivating us to act quickly and take actions that will maximize our chances of survival and success.
Next, emotion helps us in making decision. Our feelings have a huge influence on the decisions we make, from as simple as deciding for our breakfast menu to impactful decision like which candidate we choose to vote for in political elections. Psychologists have also discovered that the ability to make good decisions may decrease in people with certain types of brain defects affecting their ability to experience emotions properly. Although we wanted to believe our decisions are made with the guidance of pure logic and rationality, emotions do take place in affecting our decisions as well, as written by Cherry (2017). The ability to identify and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others, or know as emotional intelligence, has been shown to play an essential role in decision making (Psychology Today, 2018). Emotions are also essential in situations that go well beyond physical survival. To all intents and purposes, emotions do exert influence on all human relationships (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013).
Emotions allow other people to understand us and also allow us to understand others. While we are interacting with other people, it is vital to give hints to assist them understand our feelings. We may use our various facial expressions, body movements, and postures to enlighten our particular emotions we are experiencing at that moment, as described by Charles Darwin in 1872 (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). Sometimes, we can just verbalize our emotions towards our subject. For instance, we do tell our family and friends whenever we are feeling happy, sad, excited or frightened in order to inform our emotions towards then so they can use that piece of information to act. Relationship in human works in both ways, by means that emotions allow us to understand others. Cherry (2017) elaborates about how our own emotions provide valuable information to others, the emotional expressions of those around us give us a wealth of social information. Social communication is an important part of our daily lives and relationships, and being able to interpret and react to the emotions of others is essential (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013). It allows us to respond appropriately and build deeper, more meaningful relationships with our friends, family, and loved ones. It also allows us to communicate effectively in a variety of social situations, from dealing with an irate customer to managing a hot-headed employee. To summarize, our emotional expression and experience, including our ability to understand the emotions of others, are paramount to the maintenance of social relationships (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2013).
In present time, psychologists are acutely aware that emotions reflect the interaction among biological factors shaped by evolution and personal, cultural, and social factors. Emotions are such complex phenomena, encompassing both biological and cognitive aspects, that no single theory has been able to explain fully all the facets of emotional experience. As we have learned, our emotions serve a wide variety of purposes. Emotions can be fleeting, persistent, powerful, complex, and even life-changing. They can motivate us to act in particular ways and give us the tools and resources we need to interact meaningfully in our social worlds. We should be thinking about our emotions and feelings and how important they are for our general well-being. If we are struggling to get in touch with our emotions, seeing a psychological therapist who can act as our companion and support on the journey of self-discovery can be very helpful.