Psychology: Brain, Mind,
and Culture, 2e
by
Drew Westen
Paul J. Wellman
Texas A&M University
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
PowerPoint  Presentation: Chapter 11
Emotion, Stress, and Coping
Lecture Outline

Emotion
 Theories of emotion
 Interaction between emotion and cognition

Stress
 Theories of stress
 Management of stress
 Coping
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Emotion

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Emotions reflect a “stirred up’ state
Emotions have valence: positive or
negative
Emotions are thought to have 3
components:
 Physiological arousal
 Subjective experience
 Behavioral expression
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Assessment of James-Lange
Theory of Emotion

Cannon’s arguments against the theory:
 Visceral response are slower than emotions
 The same visceral responses are associated with
many emotions (Î heart rate with anger and joy).

Subsequent research provides support:
 Different emotions are associated with different
patterns of visceral activity
 Accidental transection of the spinal cord greatly
diminishes emotional reactivity (prevents visceral
signals from reaching brain)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Subjective Emotional Experience

Emotional intensity varies along a bell
curve
 At the upper end are people with severe
personality disorders (too intense anger and
sadness)
 At the lower end are people who appear not
to have emotional states
• “Alexithymia” a condition in which a person does
not experience emotional states
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Happiness as an Emotion
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Happiness is an emotional state
characterized by a positive valence
Research shows that happiness is
 related to cultural values (highest in
individualistic cultures, lowest in collectivist
cultures)
 not related to:
• Gender
• Age
• Wealth
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Wealth and Happiness
(Figure adapted from Myers & Diener, 1995, p.13)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Facial Expression of Emotion

There is an evolutionary link between the
experience of emotion and facial
expression of emotion:
 Served to inform others of our emotional state

Different facial expressions are associated
with different emotions
 Ekman’s research

Facial expression can alter emotional
experience
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Facial Expression Influences
Emotional State
(Figure adapted from Ekman et al., 1983, p. 1209)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Taxonomy of Emotions
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How many basic emotional states?
 Between 5 and 9 basic states:
• The common 5 include anger, fear, happiness,
sadness, and disgust
• Additional states include surprise, contempt,
shame, guilt, joy, and trust

Emotional valence may be related to
activity in the nervous system:
 Positive: activity of dopamine systems
 Negative: activity of norepinephrine systems
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Taxonomy of Emotion
(Figure adapted from Fischer et al., 1990, p. 90)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Neuropsychology of Emotion

Dual processing of
emotions:
 Activation of the
amygdala produces
visceral responses
 Cortical activation
allows for use of
memory in
understanding
emotional stimuli
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
(Figure adapted from LeDoux, 1986, p. 329)
Cognitive Perspectives on Emotion
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Plato: “reason must rein in the passions”
Schachter and Singer (1962): cognitive
judgements are a critical part of emotional
experience:
 Subjects are aroused by an injection of
adrenaline and then exposed to anger or
happiness cues
 The emotional cues played a prominent role
in emotional experience
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Schachter-Singer Theory of
Emotion
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Emotional Influences on Cognition

Emotional states can alter our cognitive
ability
 Anxiety can reduce working memory capacity
by the process of distraction
 Mood can alter the way we make
judgements, inferences, or predictions
 Mood becomes a part of memory and can
alter encoding/retrieval of information
 Extreme emotional experiences can alter
brain structure
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Stress
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Stress: A state that impairs our ability to
respond to internal and external demands
 Stress is a psychobiological process
 Stress reflects the interaction of the person
with their environment

Stress responses are organized in stages
 Alarm: release of adrenaline and activation
of the autonomic nervous system
 Resistance: all systems return to normal
 Exhaustion: systems begin to fail
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Modern Views of Stress

Richard Lazarus: stress is a transaction
between a person and their environment
 Primary appraisal: person evaluates situations
as benign or stressful
 Secondary appraisal: person decides how to
deal with stress

Lazarus identifies three types of stress:
 Loss: person loses a loved one or a
possession
 Threat: anticipated harm
 Challenge: opportunity for growth (new job)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Holmes-Rahe Life Events Scale
Rank
Life Event
Mean Value
1
2
Death of Spouse
Divorce
100
73
8
Fired at work
47
12
Pregnancy
40
20
Mortgage over $10,000 (1964)
31
25
Outstanding personal achievement
28
(Table adapted from Holmes & Rahe, 1967)
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Impact of a Major Stressor:
Death of a Spouse
Top Ten Common Hassles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Concerns about weight
Health of a family member
Rising prices of common goods
Home maintenance
Too many things to do
Misplacing or losing things
Yard work
Property, investments, or taxes
Crime
Physical appearance
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Coping Mechanisms

Problem-focused: Person attempts to
change the situation
 Try to remove the stressor
 Plan ways of resolving the situation
 Seek advice from others on how to change the
situation

Emotion-focused:
 Thought alteration: reframe the situation to
make it less threatening
 Alter emotions by exercise or drug use
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Social Support and Stress

Other persons can provide social support:
 Two-way communication in which a person
can confide their concerns and receive
support from others


Low social support decreases life span
Social support may work by
 Buffering person against the harmful effects
of stress
 Social support is a positive force that reduces
susceptibility to stress
© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Copyright
Copyright 1999 by John Wiley and Sons, New
York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the
material protected by this copyright may be
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© 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.