EmotionEssay title: EmotionEmotion 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 amygdala, the basal ganglia of the brain, produces the mental state that determines what emotions are conveyed to us by the senses. It is the body’s primary brain area (the part that processes sensory information) within which emotions are received. When emotions are processed in a number of senses a number of physical changes occur.
To make things even more complex, emotional feelings are perceived and controlled within different brain regions and are not considered as mere physical sensations. So, for example, feelings of sadness or anger could be perceived as positive emotions when we try to convey them out to others, but positive emotions would be considered as negative emotions when people share them.” (DeCatanzaro 10) Emotions can be conveyed when our sense of fear is in decline, or when our experience of pain is in increased power through the emotional systems. It is this that provides the basis for the idea that emotions are real (or, a more complex concept, their subjective meanings) that we must understand.
According to this idea, emotions come and go during a person’s life and can even be expressed as feelings (in an emotion sense). The amygdala controls and activates the body, allowing any number of physical and emotional changes to occur within the body. The body also stimulates fear by producing hormones that create physical and emotional pain on contact. Other mechanisms are used to cause pain to individuals.
To learn more about the anatomy of emotions, see the following article:
Pain and the Psychology Behind Emotions.
Psychologists (i) Know Your Body’s Basis, and (ii) Understand the Heart’s Basis.
A lot of information from this chapter is taken from online sources, and I hope it helps the reader gain some perspective.
Papez describes the brain as being “all the same, all the same, only different.” However, with some variation, many different kinds of emotions exist within the same set of nerves and muscles. For example, emotions are experienced within the body, but not as sensations. There are a wide variety of emotions that can occur in different locations in your body or brain. Here are 3 common types of emotions that one can experience in this area of the body.
3 Types of emotions that you may experience in “a body that is all the same” (see the section about body types also on these themes)
This type of emotion is defined as a type of pleasure, that may occur during the first few years of life. The emotion can also occur in any of three regions in the body such as the posterior cingulate gyrus, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus. These areas release hormones that bring about increased stress hormones and increased stress hormones in the body through the stress hormones.
Psychologists (i) Know Your Mind & Body’s Location for Emotions.
The brain consists of a group of neurons located around the amygdala. These neurons are divided into several groups: (1) subcortical regions, (2) hippocampal regions (called subspheres after the ‘substances’) and (3) cingulate cortex regions. These sections transmit emotions to and are responsible for many of the body’s functions.
A person can describe a body by one of three primary areas
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 emotions occur rapidly without any sentiment or thought.
Leventhal proposed a two phase model of emotion in that cognitions promote emotions and expressive reactions and that the overt action is separate from the instinctual. In order to express emotion, we must be able to attach a label to the physiological reactions that occur. Therefore the emotion that is actually presented differs from the instinctual response.
The most extensive theory detailing the relationship between emotion and cognition was developed by Schacter who suggested that “autonomic arousal was common to many emotions, and that cognitive and perceptual factors are required to differentiate among the emotions.” (deCatanzaro 176-77) Emotions are primarily determined by cognition and arousal of the sympathetic nervous system. If an individual is physiologically aroused, the individual will label it and if that cognition is repeated, it will be labeled as an emotion.
There is another debate as to whether or not emotions are developed or if they are innate. Ekman conducted an experiment where he showed standardized pictures of human faces displaying specific emotions to subjects from diverse nations of the world and then measuring the percentage of instances in which they correctly identify the emotion. There was very high agreement across the cultures that were used in this experiment. This experiment has been replicated by a number of researchers who modified the experiment so that the participants would be asked to identify both primary and secondary emotions in the pictures of the facial expressions. They found that “although there are cultural differences in judgments