Chapter 10 Emotional development
The development of emotions
Emotions = neural and physiological responses to the environment, subjective
feelings, cognitions related to those feelings, and the desire to take action.
Components of emotions:
1. Neural responses
2. Physiological factors
3. Subjective feelings
4. Emotional expressions
5. The desire to take action, incl. the desire to escape, approach, or change
people or things in the environment
Theories on the nature and emergence of emotion
Discrete emotions theory vs. Functionalist perspective
Discrete emotions theory = a theory about emotions, held by Tomkins, Izard, and
others, in which emotions are viewed as innate and discrete from one another from
very early in life, and each emotion is believed to be packaged with a specific and
distinctive set of bodily and facial reactions.
Functionalist perspective = a theory of emotion, proposed by Campos and others,
arguing that the basic function of emotions is to promote action toward achieving a
goal. In this view, emotions are not discrete from one another and vary somewhat
based on the social environment.
The emergence of emotions
● Happiness
○ Smiling
○ Social smiles = smiles that are directed at people. (emerge after 6-7
weeks)
○ When able to control a particular event → happy
○ 7 months: smile at familiar people
○ Increases during first year
● Fear
○ Fear of strangers (6-7 months) → depends on temperament & context
○ Adaptive → rely on parents’ protection → fear/distress are powerful
tools for bringing help and support
○ Separation anxiety = feelings of distress that children, especially
infants and toddlers, experience when they are separated, or expect to
be separated, from individuals to whom they are emotionally attached.
● Anger
○ Response to a frustrating or threatening situation
○ Goes together with sadness
○ Peak at 18-24 months
The development of emotions
Emotions = neural and physiological responses to the environment, subjective
feelings, cognitions related to those feelings, and the desire to take action.
Components of emotions:
1. Neural responses
2. Physiological factors
3. Subjective feelings
4. Emotional expressions
5. The desire to take action, incl. the desire to escape, approach, or change
people or things in the environment
Theories on the nature and emergence of emotion
Discrete emotions theory vs. Functionalist perspective
Discrete emotions theory = a theory about emotions, held by Tomkins, Izard, and
others, in which emotions are viewed as innate and discrete from one another from
very early in life, and each emotion is believed to be packaged with a specific and
distinctive set of bodily and facial reactions.
Functionalist perspective = a theory of emotion, proposed by Campos and others,
arguing that the basic function of emotions is to promote action toward achieving a
goal. In this view, emotions are not discrete from one another and vary somewhat
based on the social environment.
The emergence of emotions
● Happiness
○ Smiling
○ Social smiles = smiles that are directed at people. (emerge after 6-7
weeks)
○ When able to control a particular event → happy
○ 7 months: smile at familiar people
○ Increases during first year
● Fear
○ Fear of strangers (6-7 months) → depends on temperament & context
○ Adaptive → rely on parents’ protection → fear/distress are powerful
tools for bringing help and support
○ Separation anxiety = feelings of distress that children, especially
infants and toddlers, experience when they are separated, or expect to
be separated, from individuals to whom they are emotionally attached.
● Anger
○ Response to a frustrating or threatening situation
○ Goes together with sadness
○ Peak at 18-24 months
