Cannon-Bard Theory

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, also known as the Thalamic theory of emotion, is a

physiological explanation of emotion developed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard. Cannon-

Bard theory states that we feel emotions and experience physiological reactions such as

sweating,

trembling, and muscle tension simultaneously (verywellmind, 2020)

More specifically, 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. According to the Cannon-

Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience the associated emotion at the same

time. The physical reactions are not dependent upon the emotional reaction, or vice versa. As an

example: Heavy rainfall won’t stop - I am afraid, and I begin to tremble, and your heart beating

wildly caused by typhoon would lead you to realize that you are afraid. These experiences could

lead to trauma, according to (Vicente, 2020) adding that it could take months or years to recover

for some. Victims of natural disasters are also vulnerable to other mental problems such as stress

disorders, depression and general anxiety, he added.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-cannon-bard-theory-2794965
(Laurus & Folkman, 1984) used the term coping to describe the “cognitive and behavioral
efforts” a person employs to manage stress, generally categorized as emotion focused or problem
focused coping. Not an individual trait, coping is instead conceptualized by Lazarus and
Folkman as a process.

These theorists have built upon the original work of (Selye, 1978) who proposed the term stress
to explain responses being observed in the general adaptation syndrome, a syndrome identified
as an “initial alarm reaction followed by a state of adaptation”. C

If a community has been hit by a disaster or violent event, victims may probably try to make
sense of what happened and deal with the stress of the situation. These events create a
tremendous amount of stress and anxiety for those directly and indirectly affected. In the days
and weeks following the disaster, victims may begin to have some of coping reactions.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904627/#:~:text=Lazarus%20and%20Folkman
%20(1984)%20used,process%20(Rew%2C%202005).