THEORIES OF EMOTION
What raw materials combine to create human emotions? How does the brain construct emotion? Certain theories suggest that emotions hinge on the axes of the following pairs of dimensions: pleasure-misery and arousal-sleep. Does this formula capture the variability of human emotion?
Consider the interplay between cognition and emotion. Some theories posit that emotions consist of automatic responses to stimuli. Other theories suggest that cognitive processes influence the ways in which people perceive emotions.
For this Discussion, select a theory of emotions. Consider why the theory you selected is optimal for the classification of emotions.
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a brief description of the theory you selected from the articles in the Learning Resources. Then explain why this theory is optimal for the classification of emotions. Finally, describe the SPAARS model and explain how it relates to the theory you selected. Support your response using the Learning Resources and current literature.
- Power, M., & Dalgleish, T. (2008). Towards an integrated cognitive theory of emotion: The SPAARS approach. In, Cognition and emotion: From order to disorder Download Cognition and emotion: From order to disorder(2nd ed., pp. 129–167). London, England: Psychology Press.
Cognition and Emotion: From Order to Disorder by Power, M., & Dalgleish, T. Copyright 2008 by Psychology Press, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of Psychology Press, Ltd., via the Copyright Clearance Center. - Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A. (1998). Independence and bipolarity in the structure of current affect. Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyLinks to an external site., 74(4), 967–984.
- Cacioppo, J. T., & Gardner, W. L. (1999). Emotion. Annual Review of PsychologyLinks to an external site., 50, 191–214.
- Carstensen, L. L., & Mikels, J. A. (2005). At the intersection of emotion and cognition: Aging and the positivity effect. Current Directions in Psychological ScienceLinks to an external site., 14(3), 117–121.
- Mauss, I. B., Levenson, R. W., McCarter, L., Wilhelm, F. H., & Gross, J. J. (2005). The tie that binds? Coherence among emotion experience, behavior, and physiology. EmotionLinks to an external site., 5(2), 175–190.
- Roseman, I. J., & Evdokas, A. (2004). Appraisals cause experienced emotions: Experimental evidence. Cognition & EmotionLinks to an external site., 18(1), 1–28.
- Siemer, M., Mauss, I., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Same situation—Different emotions: How appraisals shape our emotions. EmotionLinks to an external site., 7(3), 592–600.
- Storbeck, J., & Clore, G. L. (2007). On the interdependence between cognition and emotion. Cognition and EmotionLinks to an external site., 21(6), 1212–1237.
- Williams, L. E., Bargh, J. A., Nocera, C. C., & Gray, J. R. (2009). The unconscious regulation of emotion: Nonconscious reappraisal goals modulate emotional reactivity. EmotionLinks to an external site., 9(6), 847–854.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
