Emotions and Their Role in People’s Lives

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Functions of emotions
Depiction of emotional state
The relationship between motivation and emotions theories
Telling emotions
Factors that influence emotional experiences
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Emotion and motivation are two closely related concepts in human nature. All Activities that motivate people to affect their emotions either directly or indirectly. For example, activities associated with strong emotions can either motivate one to repeat actions or avoid them (Dewey Para. 1). An emotion is a biological condition of the mind related to varied sensations, behaviors, and judgments. Emotions in many instances are associated with an individual’s disposition, character, and temperament. Motivation, on the other hand, is the activation of behaviors that aim to achieve specific goals. Levels of motivation can either rise or fall depending on one’s prevailing conditions. For many organisms, emotions play a major role in motivation. They primarily determine the behavior reactions of organisms towards impulses originating from their surrounding environments (kismet Para. 1). This paper will discuss the relationship existing between motivation and emotion. In addition, it will discuss the historical theories of emotion and research methods used to uncover basic human emotions.

Functions of emotions

Many positive emotions are caused by actions that satisfy specific drives. In addition, they can be caused by activities that demonstrate the successful use of one’s abilities. Emotions also can simplify the termination of certain activities or instances; where attention needs to be diverted to avoid negative stimuli. Negative emotions are caused by unpleasant activities hence, motivating an individual to correct specific actions or devise means to evade the occurrence of such actions. Each emotion elicited has different functions. These functions are either social or biological. Kismet further adds that surprise, fear, sorrow, anger, joy, and fear emotions play a very important role in the understanding of many cultural and developmental aspects of individuals (Kismet Para. 2, 3).

Emotions determine an individual’s well-being. Studies conducted by Scherer show that many people are motivated by activities that encourage creativity, internal satisfaction, and easy coping strategies. These activities make individuals exhibit different emotions depending on the nature of prevailing conditions. He further adds that these emotions make people formulate different responses in trying to deal with their conditions. The responses, either biological or behavioral, give an individual a coping mechanism to the “threatening” situation. This, therefore, explains the development of suitable connections, between individuals and their surroundings (pp. 695-715).

Depiction of emotional state

The emotional state of an organism is depicted by facial expressions, posture, gesture, and voice degree. Through emotions, an individual’s behavioral pattern can be predicted in varying stimuli. This is because; emotions give an insight into an organism’s reactions to various events in its surroundings (Kismet Para. 5).

Emotions, on the other hand, act as rewards resulting from specific drives. Human undertakings in most cases are done under specific regulatory measures. Most of these actions often are associated with pleasant outcomes. Hence, depending on the nature of the results, different emotions are exhibited that can lead to repetition of similar actions or change of course (Parkinson & Colman pp. 6- 14).

The relationship between motivation and emotions theories

To understand the relationship existing between motivation and emotions better, some theories have been used. They include the James Lange theory, Cannon Band theory, Cognitive theory, Le Doux’s theory, Yerkes theory, and Schachler Singer theory. These theories although different, analyses how emotions affect motivation in living organisms (Morgan Para. 1).

The James-Lange theory proposes that emotions are never dictated by perceptions held by individuals, but rather, they occur later after individuals have reacted to specific stimuli. According to this theory, body changes are caused by perceptions by the body of an external stimulus. This is attributed to the fact that the autonomic system interprets changes in the immediate environment of an organism. Many biological changes taking place in the body because of these environmental changes. The biological changes that take place in the body are muscular tension, sweating, and increased heart rate. The theory further argues that bodily sensations play an important role in preparing an individual for action (Galt P. 1).

Although this theory explains the nature of the relationship, many psychologists have opposed it, due to its failure to agree with many scientific theories. Many argue that biological changes in the body are not caused by emotional responses, but instead, it is vice versa. In addition, the theory does not explain the differences in the emotional reactions of different individuals. This is because different individuals have different biological responses that depend on their experience (Galt p. 2).

The cannon bard theory states that individuals experience emotions first, and then responses are evoked later. According to the theory, emotions do not result from biological changes but rather the two processes occur at the same time. It further argues that emotions result when the thalamus passes a signal to the brain in reaction to specific stimuli (Enersen Para. 1).

The Schachter singer theory is the most accepted of all the theories that explain emotions. It is also referred to as the two-factor theory. This theory combines both functions of biological and cognitive changes to explain emotions. The theory argues that each individual’s emotional conditions depend on specific cognitive features. It further argues that the sense organs detect changes in the environment hence, commanding the autonomous system to respond accordingly. In addition, the theory takes into consideration an individual’s experience in explaining emotions, hence the cause of motivated behavior (Enersen Para. 6).

Telling emotions

Telling emotions by simple interpretation of facial expressions does not exactly depict people’s emotionality. To fully understand the emotionality of different individuals, a critical analysis of their behavioral, cognitive, and biological patterns has to be done. To uncover emotions, qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The methods include observations, discussions and ethnography, neuroimaging, statistical sampling and analysis, and group study. Emotion studies take two viewpoints: the discrete and dimensional view. The discrete view primarily emphasizes the influence of idiosyncratic assessments on negative and positive emotional effects on behavior. The dimensional perspective asserts that emotional reactions relate to two human conditions: contentment on specific activities and alert or sleepiness.

A commonly used method is the emotional stroop. This is an experimental psychology method, which investigates the relationships between attention and disturbance in many processes. In this method, words are printed using different colors, and then individuals name the colors they observe when subjected to different emotional conditions. Emotional stroop applies the use of words that trigger different emotions and their influence on an individual’s naming is measured quantitatively. Two conclusions arise from this method. Firstly, the stimuli trigger high activation levels hence interferes with the naming pattern. On the other hand, the decreasing intervals are interpreted as longer for stimuli that are neutral to individuals.

Many uncertainties are associated with group character. Qualitative methods help in uncovering group emotions because they vividly explain different individual’s emotions in similar environments. Ethnography considers the social and cultural contexts of individuals. This method studies group emotions about their working conditions. Data is collected on the external manifestation of emotions depending on an individual’s experiences. The researcher’s emotions must be controlled to avoid altering the outcomes of the research. Although, this method requires the researcher to also use their emotional responses in that particular environment to validate the research results (Mentis pp. 2-4).

Neuroimaging is a scientific method that also helps in uncovering emotions. It uses functional magnet resonance and imaging positron emission tomography. The study focuses on the region of the brain called the amygdala. This region is associated with the emotional learning and memory of many activities in individuals. Research shows that the region helps individuals to evaluate environmental conditions hence change emotionality to suit the prevailing stimuli. Assessments are done on the region through biological responses. This method has advantages over other methods, because; in addition to uncovering an individual’s emotions, it accurately predicts human emotions in varying stimuli (Phelps p.750).

Factors that influence emotional experiences

Many factors influence emotional experiences. The facial feedback hypothesis emphasizes the relationship that exists between facial muscle movement and emotional changes. Facial expressions in many cases are not true but they often influence an individual’s emotions. The hypothesis states that emotional experiences are regulated by reactions from the skeletal muscles on facial appearances. The hypothesis faces one challenge, in that it is almost impossible to measure emotional effects without notifying the individuals under study. The study emphasizes the importance of facial muscles in emotional control (Cappella 13- 26).

Facial expressions emphasize how much individuals have evaluated certain events. The event appraisal theory states that emotions are based on how individuals react to certain events in their environment. The degree of appraisal of an event is connected with individual expectations from an event. This triggers the biological system in anticipation of the event hence, the expression of certain emotions. The theory emphasizes the levels and effect variability of emotions among different cultures. In most cases, the degree of appraisal of an event depends on individual goals and drives (Parkinson pp. 62-76).

Conclusion

In conclusion, emotions play a very important role in all individuals’ lives. Emotions give directions and provide meaningful living conditions to all individuals. To uncover emotions both qualitative and quantitative methods have to be integrated. The application of these methods helps in uncovering emotions beyond facial expression interpretations.

Works Cited

Cappella, N. J. The Facial Feedback Hypothesis in Human Interaction. Language and Social Psychology 12 (2) (1993): 13-29

Dewey, R. A. Psychology: An Introduction; emotions. 2007. Web.

Enersen. Cannon-Bard theory. 2009. Web.

Galt, J. The James-Lange Theory of Emotion. 2007. Web.

Mentis, H. Ethnographic Methods for Studying: Emotions in Group Contexts. ( n.d.). 2009. Web.

Parkinson, B. and Colman, A. M. Emotion and motivation. New York; London: Longman publishers, 1995

Parkinson, B Untangling the Appraisal-Emotion Connection. personality and Social Psychology 1 (1997): 62-7.

Phelps, E. A. Race behavior and the brain: the role of neuroimaging in understanding complex social behavior. Political psychology 24(4) (2003): 750-751

Scherer, K. R. 2005. What are emotions? And how can they be measured? Social Science Information 44(4) (2005): 695-720.

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