Anger Example of Anger in Action

Discuss these questions in groups of 4…take about 7-8 minutes What makes us angry? Why would most people experience anger in response to the teenagers’ actions? Is the anger that is portrayed in the film “a short madness” that “carries the mind away, or is it “noble anger” that “brings back strength?” Is the woman “venting her anger” typical of an anger response? Share a personal experience in which you vented your anger. How does the venting of anger affect the woman? How did your venting of anger affect you? Popular books on aggression advise that hostile outbursts are better for you than keeping anger pent up. Do you agree? Why or why not? What’s the best way to handle anger?

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 “Bonzo Box” experiment 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 sadder 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

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

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

expressing emotion Paul Ekman

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 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