WEEK 1: EMOTION THEORY AND ANXIETY DISORDERS
What is an emotion?
Study of emotions was first related to study of ethics (Aristoteles). He thought the right amount of
emotion is one of the keys to being a virtuous person. For a long time, it was more of a philosophical
approach, and only later on there was more focus on the psychological functions of emotions.
o They include thoughts (cognitions), subjective feelings (experience), physiological arousal.
o No scientific consensus on what emotions are.
o Psychological state that goes together with physiological arousal, behavioral response and
thoughts.
o Higher and lower emotions: all humans are able to experience five basic emotions (happy,
anxious, sad, angry, ashamed). This is a basic emotion theory for interventions in
psychopathology.
Anxiety vs anxiety disorders
Emotion theory and anxiety
o Anxiety is a useful emotion for all living beings.
o Stimulus presentation anxiety as reaction (psychological, physiological, cognitive).
o Anxiety is an emotion and more than a feeling.
1) Physiological aspects
2) Cognitive aspects
conscious (experience, feeling)
unconscious
3) Motoric / behavioral aspects
o These aspects occur together often, but not always all of them occur. A person can have a
physiological reaction to a stimulus, but that doesn’t tell us anything about the emotion experienced
(for example, can be fear or love/excitement). Same physiological aspect but different cognitive one.
Related concepts: mood, attitude and temperament:
mood = constant psychological state
, Two dimensions:
Functions of emotions
Theoretical background
1. Evolutionary theory
2. James-Lange theory
3. Cannon-Bard theory
4. Schachter-Singer theory
,5. Cognitive appraisal theory
Schachter – Singer (two factor) theory of emotions
3 central propositions
stimulus causes physiological arousal
Problem: same physiological arousal can be associated with different emotions.
Cognitive appraisal theory
An emotion requires interpretation of the stimulus, which happens fast,
and sometimes even preconscious, we have a primary appraisal of
stimulus and a secondary appraisal of the stimulus / situation.
1. Primary appraisal: no prefrontal cortex, via cerebellum, quick and
automatic, made in a split of a second.
2. Secondary appraisal
, Neuroticism (trait anxiety / negative affectivity)
Some people and some stimuli are more
conducive to provoking anxiety, but they are
not in themselves dangerous/anxiety-
provoking emotion depends on our
cognitive appraisal of the stimulus.
Tendency toward anxiety and depression,
because people most give negative
interpretations toward self and others, they
generally experience more negative emotions.
What is an emotion?
Study of emotions was first related to study of ethics (Aristoteles). He thought the right amount of
emotion is one of the keys to being a virtuous person. For a long time, it was more of a philosophical
approach, and only later on there was more focus on the psychological functions of emotions.
o They include thoughts (cognitions), subjective feelings (experience), physiological arousal.
o No scientific consensus on what emotions are.
o Psychological state that goes together with physiological arousal, behavioral response and
thoughts.
o Higher and lower emotions: all humans are able to experience five basic emotions (happy,
anxious, sad, angry, ashamed). This is a basic emotion theory for interventions in
psychopathology.
Anxiety vs anxiety disorders
Emotion theory and anxiety
o Anxiety is a useful emotion for all living beings.
o Stimulus presentation anxiety as reaction (psychological, physiological, cognitive).
o Anxiety is an emotion and more than a feeling.
1) Physiological aspects
2) Cognitive aspects
conscious (experience, feeling)
unconscious
3) Motoric / behavioral aspects
o These aspects occur together often, but not always all of them occur. A person can have a
physiological reaction to a stimulus, but that doesn’t tell us anything about the emotion experienced
(for example, can be fear or love/excitement). Same physiological aspect but different cognitive one.
Related concepts: mood, attitude and temperament:
mood = constant psychological state
, Two dimensions:
Functions of emotions
Theoretical background
1. Evolutionary theory
2. James-Lange theory
3. Cannon-Bard theory
4. Schachter-Singer theory
,5. Cognitive appraisal theory
Schachter – Singer (two factor) theory of emotions
3 central propositions
stimulus causes physiological arousal
Problem: same physiological arousal can be associated with different emotions.
Cognitive appraisal theory
An emotion requires interpretation of the stimulus, which happens fast,
and sometimes even preconscious, we have a primary appraisal of
stimulus and a secondary appraisal of the stimulus / situation.
1. Primary appraisal: no prefrontal cortex, via cerebellum, quick and
automatic, made in a split of a second.
2. Secondary appraisal
, Neuroticism (trait anxiety / negative affectivity)
Some people and some stimuli are more
conducive to provoking anxiety, but they are
not in themselves dangerous/anxiety-
provoking emotion depends on our
cognitive appraisal of the stimulus.
Tendency toward anxiety and depression,
because people most give negative
interpretations toward self and others, they
generally experience more negative emotions.
