Pathos
EMOTIONS
Aristotle,
The Nicomachean Ethics:
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Anyone can become angry -- that is
easy, but to be angry with the right
person, to the right degree, at the right
time, for the right purpose, and in the
right way -- this is not easy
Benjamin Franklin
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“Anger is never without reason, but
seldom a good one.”
Charles Brenner
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Most emotional states appear to be an
amalgam of both pleasant and
unpleasant feelings, good and bad
memories. But the words we use to
describe emotions often fail to capture
this complexity.
Anthony Marsella
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Some languages have no specific term
for depression.
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The less Westernized a culture, the less
likely psychological feeling such as guilt
are to be included in a description of
depression.
Robert Pultcheck
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Emotion -- A chain Reaction
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Stimulus Event > Cognition > Feeling >
Behavior : Function
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Threat by Enemy> Danger > Fear > Run
: Protection
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Loss of Parent > Isolation > Sadness > Cry for
Help : Reintegration
Robert Pultcheck
Categories of adaptive behavior (functions of emotional chain reaction)
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Protection: Behavior designed to avoid danger or harm.
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Destruction: Behavior designed to eliminate a barrier to satisfaction of an important need.
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Incorporation: Behavior that involves accepting a beneficial stimulus from the outside world.
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Rejection: Behavior designed to expel something harmful.
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Reproduction: Behavior designed to provide contact with sex for the purpose of perpetuating
one's gene pool.
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Reintegration: Behavior associated with the loss of someone who has provided important
nurturance in the past.
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Orientation: Behavioral reactions to contact with a new, unfamiliar stimulus.
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Exploration: Behavior designed to bring the organism into contact with many aspects of its
environment.
Influences on Emotion

Facilitative and Debilitative emotions
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Display Rules (Influences on Emotional
Expression):

Culture, Gender, Social Conventions,
Social Roles
Albert Ellis.
A New Guide to Rational Living. Rational Emotive Therapy.
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(A) Activating Event >
(B) Belief >
(C) Consequence
Three ways of Thinking (Believing) :
Rationally
Irrationally
Rationalations.
Fallacies
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The Fallacy of Perfection
The Fallacy of Approval
The Fallacy of Shoulds
The Fallacy of Over generalizations
The Fallacy of Causation
The Fallacy of Helplessness
The Fallacy of Catastrophic Expectations
Guidelines for Expressing
Emotions
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Recognize your feelings
Choose the best language
Share mixed feelings
Recognize the difference between feeling and acting
Accept responsibility for your feelings
Choose the best time and place to express your feelings
Express your feelings clearly
W. T. Grant Consortium:
Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs

EMOTIONAL SKILLS
• Identifying and labeling feelings
• Expressing feelings
• Assessing the intensity of feelings
• Managing feelings
• Delaying gratification
• Controlling impulses
• Reducing stress
• Knowing the difference between feelings and
actions
W. T. Grant Consortium:
Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs

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COGNITIVE SKILLS
• Self-talk—conducting an "inner dialogue" as a way to cope with a
topic or challenge or reinforce one's own behavior
• Reading and interpreting social cues—for example, recognizing
social influences on behavior and seeing oneself in the perspective of
the larger community
• Using steps for problem-solving and decision-making—for instance,
controlling impulses, setting goals, identifying alternative actions,
anticipating consequences
• Understanding the perspective of others
• Understanding behavioral norms (what is and is not acceptable
behavior)
• A positive attitude toward life
• Self-awareness—for example, developing realistic expectations
about oneself
W. T. Grant Consortium:
Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs

BEHAVIORAL SKILLS
• Nonverbal—communicating through eye contact, facial
expressiveness, tone of voice, gestures, and so on
• Verbal—making clear requests, responding effectively to
criticism, resisting negative influences, listening to others,
helping others, participating in positive peer groups