Emotion & Motivation Notes Outline
Chapter Outline
I.
ELEMENTS OF EMOTION: THE BODY
A. The face of emotion
1. Certain facial expressions are hard-wired
a. Ekman’s cross-cultural work identified seven universal expressions:
anger, happiness, fear, surprise, disgust, sadness, and contempt
b. Neuro-cultural theory--universal face muscle physiology and cultural
variations contribute to the facial expression of emotion
c. Facial expressions that convey genuine emotions may use different
sets of muscles and last for different durations than faked facial expressions
d. Facial expressions have evolved to express internal states and
communicate with others (Ekman’s “Microexpressions”)
e. Facial expressions of parents have important impact on infants
2. Facial-feedback hypothesis suggests that one’s own facial expression
influences the experience of emotion
a. Studies of mimicry and contagion stem from this line of research
3. Facial expressions occur in a social and cultural context
a. Familiarity affects the ability to decode facial expressions
b. Expressions can mean different things at different
c. Cultures differ in the amount of attention paid to expressions
d. Expressions can be used deceptively
B. The brain and emotion
1. The amygdala plays a crucial and central role in emotional experience
a. Source of fear-related emotions appears to be the amygdala
b. Cortex allows us to override emotional response triggered by
amygdala
2. Right hemisphere is activated when processing incoming emotional
information and expressing emotion
a. Two cerebral hemispheres process different emotions; left = positive
emotions, right = negative emotions
3. Mirror neurons play a critical part in empathy and imitation
C. Hormones and emotion
1. Epinephrine and norepinephrine produced by adrenal gland activate the
sympathetic nervous system
2. At high hormone levels, we may feel “flooded” by an emotion, but we can
learn to control our actions
3. Both physiological similarities and differences exist between emotions
ELEMENTS OF EMOTION: THE MIND
A. Explanations of events predict emotion better than events themselves
Photo of Silver, gold and Bronze medal winner’s from textbook, who is happier?)
B. Many emotions distinguished by particular thoughts or perceptions--they cannot
be experienced without a sense of self and an understanding of social
expectations (e.g., envy and jealousy, shame and guilt)
ELEMENTS OF EMOTION: THE CULTURE
A. Cultural differences exist in norms; norm violations lead to the experience of
anger
B. How culture shapes emotions
1. Many psychologists believe that it is possible to identify a number of primary
emotions that are experienced universally
2. Secondary emotions are culture-specific
3. Many think searching for primary emotions is misleading and masks the
influence of culture on all emotions
a. What is considered basic or primary is influenced by culture
b. Culture determines much of what people feel emotional about
C. Communicating emotion
1. Display rules--the cultural rules that govern how and when emotions
may be
expressed--specify what to do when feeling an emotion
2. Body language is important in the communication of emotion
3. Some rules tell us how and when we should show an emotion we do not
feel--called “emotion work” (e.g., a flight attendant)
EMOTION AND GENDER
A. Seeming gender differences in emotionality may be explained by differing
expectations for men and wome. These differences may show up in reactivity,
cognition, expression, emotion work
EMOTIONAL STYLES (From Video)
Davidson’s research indicates that we each have different emotional styles—for how we
respond differently to emotional challenges—comprised of six dimensions:
 Resilience: capacity to recover from adversity (Are you quick to recover or slow?)

Outlook: capacity to sustain positive emotion over time (Is your glass half empty
or half full?)

Context: sensitivity to context (How able are you to modulate your emotions in a
context-sensitive way?)

Social intuition: sensitivity to social cues (How sensitive to are you to the facial
expression and tone of voice of others?)

Self-awareness: sensitivity to internal bodily cues to emotion (How aware are you
of your own emotions?

Attention: the ability to hone one’s focus (How scattered or focused are you in
your attentional style?)
I.
Motivation
A. Motivation – an inferred process within a person or animal that causes that
organism to move toward a goal
B. Intrinsic motivation – enjoyment of an activity for its own sake
C. Extrinsic motivation – pursuit of goals for external rewards (e.g., money, praise)
V. THE COMPETENT ANIMAL: MOTIVES TO ACHIEVE
A. The effects of motivation on work
1. Goals most likely to improve performance when three conditions are met
a. The goal is specific
b. The goal is framed positively
c. The goal is challenging but achievable
2. Performance goals--people may stop trying to improve if they fail at these
goals
3. Learning and mastery goals--failure is interpreted as another learning
experience
4. Children acquire learning goals when they are praised for effort rather than
ability
B. Expectations and self-efficacy
1. Work harder if success expected; creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
2. How hard you work for something depends on how much you want it, which
depends on your values
3. Competence results from self-efficacy--conviction that you can accomplish
what you set out to do
C. The effects of work on motivation
1. Working conditions
a. Meaningfulness, autonomy, variety, rule consistency, support, useful
feedback, and chances for growth increase workers’ motivation and
satisfaction
b. High income does not increase work motivation; rather, how and when
money is paid influences work motivation
2. Opportunities to achieve
a. Achievement highly related to opportunity
b. Stereotypes affect motivation to work in certain fields
c. Perception of a glass ceiling lowers motivation to succeed
MOTIVES, VALUES, AND WELL-BEING
A. Three kinds of motivational conflicts
1. Approach-approach--equal attraction to two or more goals
2. Avoidance-avoidance--when you dislike two alternatives
3. Approach-avoidance--when one activity has a positive and negative
aspect
B. Consequences of high levels of conflict and ambivalence
1. Some internal conflict inevitable
2. Unresolved conflict has physical and emotional cost
3. Associated with anxiety, depression, headaches, and other symptoms
4. Being true to one's self leads to greater self-integrity
C. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
1. Survival needs at the bottom, self-actualization needs at the top
2. Lower-level needs must be met before higher-level needs can be
addressed
3. Popular theory, but unsupported by research
a. People experience many needs simultaneously
b. Those whose lower needs are met do not necessarily go on to meet
higher needs
c. Higher needs may overcome lower needs