Practice question 1 - Emotion process
Scherer explains that the subjective experience of emotions is only a part of the total emotion process. Explain
the elements of the emotion process and indicate the role of the subjective experience within the total emotion
process.
The subjective experience is the feeling of a certain emotional state. It is often conscious and you are able to
verbalize them by using words about emotions or expressions. The elements of the emotions process do also
influence emotion. They are cognitive processes (or appraisal), physiological arousal, motor expression and
action tendencies. There are several components Scherer (2000) mentions when it comes to the emotion
process. There is no certain order, but it is rather a process in which all elements are connected to one another.
Emotion process (Scherer, 2000)
1. cognitive procession (appraisal)
2. physiological arousal
3. action tendency
4. motion expression
5. subjective feeling state
Cognitive procession (appraisal) is the evaluation of a situation and assigning a value to it. So you determine
whether a certain event (like a guy holding a knife) is significant to you. There are two different forms of cognitive
processing. Primary appraisal is the evaluation on whether the situation forms a threat to us and is mostly a direct
and automatic response. Secondary appraisal is the evaluation of our coping skills and available resources to
deal with the situation. Physiological arousal is mostly primary and prepares your body with energy for action.
The physiological processes determine the changes in your physiology like increased heart rate, blood pressure,
sweaty hands, weak knees, etc. Action tendencies are the urges to do something and are the preparation for
action. An example is fight or flight response. Motion expression is the actual behavior, including facial and
vocal expression. It is used for communicating your internal state through muscular action in facial muscles, vocal
organs, the hand or skeletal musculature .From this, others are informed about our internal state and can make
up the emotion we are going through. Subjective feeling state is the label we assign to a feeling, e.g. happy,
sad, guilty etc. This is an outcome and a way of communicating our emotions with others.
You first have appraisal, you appraise the significance of the man holding the knife, then neurophysiological
response patterns follow, making your heart rate increase and blood pressure increase. Then the action tendency
is the urge you feel to act on these physiological changes you notice. Which means you might run if you are a
fast runner, or you might fight if you are strong enough. The final step is the subjective experience (feeling), which
means a label of the action tendency. So if you want to run you conclude you are frightened, while if you want to
fight you conclude you are angry.
One situation can invoke several emotions at the same time. For example, anger, sadness and fear. But all
these emotions lead to different action tendencies. This means a subjective experience influences the total
emotion process.
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, Practice question 2 - Functionality / anger
Explain what the principle of functionality is and give an explanation based on this principle for the conclusion
that some researchers draw that younger children are more likely to express their anger than older children.
Through the process of the changes in arousal, and action tendencies we experience emotions (subjective
feelings) that serve as an interpersonal function for communication. This is done strategically because we
learn which behavior is more or less accepted or responded to. The functionality of emotions is telling us that
there is a change in a situation which means there is a concern at stake. We aim to maintain or change certain
relationships. Expressing emotions allows others to understand our feelings. For example, anger is described as
a response to a threat of personal goals. However, if the anger is perceived as justified it may be seen as an
socially accepted and appropriate expression
Research has shown that children are able to regulate their emotions. The older children get, the better they
become at emotion regulation. This is influenced by the emotion socialization process, children are taught
when and how to express their emotions. This means that younger children are less capable of regulating their
emotions in a way that’s socially accepted. For example, anger will be less controlled and expressed faster.
Results of the research of Jenkins & Ball (2000) show that older children are more capable of showing
socially accepted emotions, though they might still feel angry inside. Younger children often express anger
when something is taken away from them for example. However, their caregivers are more likely to ignore their
anger and angry behavior than they would ignore sadness. Children learn that sadness results in more
responsiveness from their parents. Which makes them as they grow older more likely to express sadness than
anger. The same goes for situations of conflict with peers. Children tend to respond more caring and helpful if
you focus on your loss (e.g. my toy is broken) than on the anger expressed to the actor (e.g. you broke my toy).
Through social learning they learn that anger is not the best way to express their emotions, because anger is
often responded to with more anger.
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