A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. -Abraham Maslow Can you tell me what Maslow is describing? Self-actualization!
key name Abraham MASLOW 1908-1970 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - our most basic needs must be met before we can be our best self
David McCLELLAND Achievement Motivation key name David McCLELLAND 1917-1998 Achievement Motivation conducted the experiments, which demonstrated that people with a high need for achievement choose moderate tasks
Walter CANNON & Philip BARD key name Walter CANNON & Philip BARD 1898-1971 1871-1945 We experience the physical (heart racing) and the emotional ("I feel excited") at the SAME TIME
key name Stanley SCHACTER 1922-1997 Two factor theory of emotion - we experience the physical (heart racing) and give it a cognitive label ("this is scary") and this produces our emotions
key name Konrad LORENZ 1903-1989 Asserted that aggressive impulses, are to a degree, innate. (controversial)
Theories of Emotion Does your heart pound because you are afraid... or are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?
3 Major Theories of Emotion James-Lange Cannon-Bard Schacter 2 Factor (also referred to as Schacter-Singer)
James-Lange Theory of Emotion A Physiological Response causes the Emotion Fear (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus)
Support for James-Lange Subjects report feeling more sad when viewing scenes of war, sickness, and starvation if their “sad face” muscles are activated. They also find comic strips funnier if their “happy face” muscles are activated. This is called the facial feedback effect
Criticism of James-Lange Fear (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) LOVE (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of Your secret crush
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) Fear (emotion) The Physiological Response and the Emotion are experienced at the SAME TIME
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion Says James-Lange theory is flawed. Cannon-Bard states that the physiological change and the emotion occur simultaneously. They believed it was the thalamus that helped this happen.
Think – Two cannons firing at the same time. Physiological change (heart rate, breathing) Emotion
Schachter’s Two Factor Theory of Emotion Cognitive label “I’m afraid” Fear (emotion) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) We experience the Physiological Response and give it a Cognitive Label and this produces our emotions
If you are in a falling vehicle heading toward the ground at 60 mph, your autonomic reaction would include heart racing and screaming. But if your cognitive appraisal says you are on a rollercoaster, then you have the emotion of “fun.”
Reviewing the three theories: Emotion occurs at the same time as arousal Cannon-Bard Emotion follows (lags behind) arousal James-Lange Arousal + Cognitive label Emotion Schachter’s Two Factor
Giving the Finger, the Psychology and History Thereof By William Weir on February 13, 2009 For the study, 54 right-handed subjects read a story about a person whose behavior could be interpreted as either assertive or hostile. One group extended their forefinger while reading, another group extended their middle finger. The latter group tended to assert that person in the essay was hostile, rather than assertive.
Experiencing Emotion Does money buy happiness? Average per-person Year 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Average per-person after-tax income in 1995 dollars Percentage describing themselves as very happy $20,000 $19,000 $18,000 $17,000 $16,000 $15,000 $14,000 $13,000 $12,000 $11,000 $10,000 $9,000 $8,000 $7,000 $6,000 $5,000 $4,000 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Percentage very happy Personal income
Experiencing Emotion Adaptation-Level Phenomenon tendency to form judgments relative to a “neutral” level brightness of lights volume of sound level of income defined by our prior experience This is why winning the lottery would only make us happy for a short while. Once the novelty of having all that money wears off, we adapt to this new level of wealth (or achievement, etc.) Relative Deprivation pony example perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself
Happiness is... However, Happiness Seems Not Much Researchers Have Found That Happy People Tend to Have high self-esteem (in individualistic countries) Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable Have close friendships or a satisfying marriage Have work and leisure that engage their skills Have a meaningful religious faith Sleep well and exercise However, Happiness Seems Not Much Related to Other Factors, Such as Age Gender (women are more often depressed, but also more often joyful) Education levels Parenthood (having children or not) Physical attractiveness
The Concept of Happiness Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon: you will be helpful more often if you are in a good mood. Subjective Well Being: most common measurement of happiness, satisfaction, and quality of life. Looks at physical as well as economic indicators.
Emotion Application Christine is holding her 8 month-old baby when a fierce dog appears out of nowhere and, with teeth bared, leaps for the baby’s face. Christine immediately ducks for cover to protect the baby, screams at the dog, and notices that her heart is banging and that she’s broken out in a cold sweat. How would the James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter Two-Factor theories explain Christine’s reaction?