Affect and Emotion January 18, 2007

Identity Theory  The self is a hierarchical ordering of identities, differentiated by: –Salience – the probability of activating a given identity in a situation –Commitment – the number and affective strength of ties to others as a result of having a particular identity

Identity Control Theory  Trying to maintain a view of the self  Four central components: –The identity standard or the set of meanings held by the individual which define his or her role identity –Person’s perceptions of meanings within the situation matched to the dimensions of meaning in the identity standard –Mechanism to compare perceived meanings with identity standard meanings –Individual behavior which is a function of the difference between perceptions and standard

Definitions  Affect – any evaluative orientation towards an object  Emotion – 4 components: –Appraisal of a situational stimulus –Change sin bodily sensations –Displays of expressive gestures –Cultural meanings applied to the other three components

Definitions  Sentiment – socially constructed pattern of sensations, expressive gestures, and cultural meanings organized around a relationship to a social object  Mood – enduring feelings tied to a person across situations

Emotion Norms  Feeling Rules – social guidelines that direct how we want to feel in a given situation  Expression Rules – social guidelines which indicate how we should express our feelings in a given situation

Emotional Deviance  Emotional Deviance- experiences or displays of affect that differ in quality or degree from what is expected in given situations

Factors contributing to emotional deviance:  From the emotional situation: - Time - Memory - Complex situational stimuli  Structural conditions: - Multiple role occupancy - Subcultural marginality - Normative and nonnormative role transitions - Rigid rules governing ongoing roles and ceremonial rituals

Emotion Management  Definition – trying to change in degree or quality an emotion or feeling  Types of emotion management: - evocation- trying to bring about a feeling which is initially absent - suppression- trying to reduce an undesired feeling which is initially present

Techniques of emotion management:  cognitive- changing ideas or thoughts to try and change our feelings  bodily- changing the physical aspects of emotional experience  expressive- changing the expressive gestures

ACT – Evaluations of Social Identities  Evaluation: (-4)--(-3)---(-2)---(-1)---(0)---(1)---(2)---(3)---(4) Very badVery Good  Potency: (-4)--(-3)---(-2)---(-1)---(0)---(1)---(2)---(3)---(4) Very weak/PowerlessVery Strong/Powerful  Activity: (-4)--(-3)---(-2)---(-1)---(0)---(1)---(2)---(3)---(4) Slow/QuietFast/Noisy

Affect Control Theory  Fundamental sentiments  Deflections  Transient impressions  People try to confirm fundamental meanings and minimize deflections

ACT website  T/index.htm

Kemper’s Structural Theory  Power – the ability to coerce another in order to get what one wants  Status – deferring to another (friendly, supportive behaviors)

Kemper’s Theory  3 types of emotions: –Structural – characteristic of a relationship based on status and power dimensions –Situational – result from changes in status and power as a result of interaction –Anticipatory – from the contemplation of future interaction

Situational Emotions  Increase in own power or Decrease in other’s power Security  Decrease in own power or Increase in other’s power Fear/anxiety

Situational Emotions  Increase in own status or increase in other’s status satisfaction/happiness  Decrease in own status Caused by otheranger Caused by selfshame Caused by fatedepression  Intentional decrease inother’s status satisfaction/fear  Unintentional decreasein other’s status guilt/shame