Emotions
Definition
Emotions are complex psychological states that involve three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioral or expressive response.
Analogy
Think of emotions like the weather forecast in your mind. Just as the weather can be sunny, rainy, stormy or cloudy, our emotional state can also vary from happiness (sunny), sadness (rainy), anger (stormy) to calmness (cloudy).
Related terms
Affect: This is a term used to describe observable behavior that represents the expression of a subjectively experienced feeling state (emotion).
Mood: This refers to an emotional state that may influence one's perception and behavior. Unlike emotions which are typically triggered by specific events, moods are not necessarily tied to specific experiences.
Feeling: This is the subjective experience of emotion but not all feelings result from emotions. For example, you might feel tired after a long day at work which isn't an emotion but rather a physical sensation.
"Emotions" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (8)
How do emotions affect our processing of memory?
How can neuroscience be employed by psychologists to better understand the physiological basis of emotions?
How has neuroimaging research influenced our understanding of emotions and their origin within the brain?
What experimental method would best evaluate how neurotransmitters affect emotions at a cellular level?
In what way does the Cannon-Bard theory challenge James-Lange's perspective on emotions?
Which theory emphasizes the body's physical responses play a key role in emotions but does not directly address the order in which these occur?
Which of the following experiments would provide the best testing of the James-Lange theory of emotions?
Which perspective emphasizes the physiological and genetic influences on our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions?
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