THEROY OF EMOTION

Report

An emotion is a feeling such as happiness, love, fear, anger, or hatred, which can be

caused by the different situation that we are in or the people we are with. But in
psychology, emotion is a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral,
and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally
significant matter or event. Psychologist Paul Eckman suggested (in 1972) that the six
emotions fear, disgust, anger, surprise, happiness, and sadness are universal to human
cultures. Key elements of emotion includes the subjective experience, the physiological
response, and the behavioral response.

Emotions play a crucial role in our lives because they have important functions.
Understanding the emotions of other people and animals also plays a crucial role in
safety and survival. By being able to interpret correctly the emotional displays of other
people and animals, we can respond correctly and avoid danger. According to the
evolutionary theory of emotion, our emotions exist because they serve an adaptive role.
Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment, which
helps improve the chances of success and survival.

The functions of emotions are divided into three sections namely the intrapersonal
function, the interpersonal function and the social and cultural function of emotion.
The intrapersonal function of emotion explains that emotions prepares the body for
immediate action, influence thoughts, motivate future behaviors, etc. The
interpersonal function of emotion includes that the emotions are expressed both
verbally through words and nonverbally through facial expressions, voices, gestures,
body postures, and movements. And the social and cultural function of emotion
refers to the role that emotions play in the maintenance of social order within a
society.

There are many theories of emotion. Out of those theories, three of the influential
theories are :
 James-Lange Theory of Emotion
 Canon-Bard Theory of Emotion
 Schachter-Singer (two factor) Theory of Emotion

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

The James-Lange theory is one of the best-known examples of a physiological theory
of emotion. It was proposed by psychologists William James and Carl Lange. It
suggests that when we see an external stimulus, it leads to a physiological reaction.
Our emotional reaction is dependent upon how we interpret those physical reactions.
As we experience different events, our nervous system develops physical reactions to
those events. For example, heart rate, trembling, upset stomach, etc. These physical
reactions in turn create emotional reactions such as anger, fear and sadness.
For example: suppose you are walking in the forest and you see a grizzly bear. You
begin to tremble, and your heart begins to race. The James-Lange theory proposes
that you will interpret your physical reactions and conclude that you are frightened ("I
am trembling. Therefore, I am afraid"). According to this theory of emotion, you are
not trembling because you are frightened. But, you feel frightened because you are
trembling.
Emotional

Stimulus.

Psychological
change in
reactions.

Identification of
emotional
feeling

Fig: James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Canon-Bard Theory of Emotion

Another well-known physiological theory is the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion. This
theory was developed by physiologists Walter Cannon and Philip Bard. Walter
Cannon disagreed with the James-Lange theory of emotion on several different
grounds. First, he suggested, people can experience physiological reactions linked to
emotions without actually feeling those emotions. According to this theory, when one
encounters a danger in the environment,he will often feel afraid before he starts to
experience the physical symptoms associated with fear such as shaking hands, rapid
breathing, and a racing heart.

More specifically, this theory explains that emotions result when the thalamus sends a
message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction. At
the same time, the brain also receives signals triggering the emotional experience.
Cannon and Bard’s theory suggests that the physical and psychological experience
of emotion happen at the same time and that one does not cause the other.

For example: you are in a dark room all by yourself and suddenly you hear mysterious
sound nearby. According to the Cannon-Bard theory, your heart rate increases and you
begin to tremble. While you are experiencing these physical reactions, you also
experience the emotion of fear.
 Emotional

Stimulus.

Thalamus
being
activated.

Psychological Identification of
change in emotional
reactions. feeling

Fig: Canon-Brad Theory of Emotion

Schachter-Singer (two factor) Theory of Emotion

The Schachter-Singer theory of emotion was developed by Stanley Schachter and
Jerome E. Singer. This theory explais that physical arousals alone cannot be
responsible for all the emotional responses and it takes into account the cognitive
aspect of the emotional reaction. This theory suggests that the physiological arousal
occurs first, and then the individual must identify the reason for that arousal to
experience and label it as an emotion. A stimulus leads to a physiological response
that is then cognitively interpreted and labeled which results in an emotion.

Schachter and Singer’s theory draws on both the James-Lange theory and the
Cannon-Bard theory of emotion. Like the James-Lange theory, the Schachter-Singer
theory proposes that people do infer emotions based on physiological responses. The
critical factor is the situation and the cognitive interpretation that people use to label
that emotion. And similar to the Cannon-Bard theory, the Schachter-Singer theory
also suggests that similar physiological responses can produce varying emotions.

For example, you are sitting in a dark room all by yourself and all of a sudden you
hear breathing sound behind you. Your heart rate increases and you begin to tremble.
You notice the increased heart rate and realize that it is caused by fear. Therefore, you
feel frightened.
Emotional
Stimulus.
Physical Arousals
and
Cognitive Labels
Emotional
Feelings.

Fig: Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion

Assignment-2
Theories of Emotion
By Group-3
 Bandana Shrestha(197096)
 Kritima Maharjan(1970)
 Madhushriya Shrestha(1971)
 Sachin Saud(1970)
 Sarala Gautam(1970)
 Siddharth Lamichhane(1879
 Shiraf Rana(1971)