Emotions have developed along with the sophistication of the brain as an organ throughout the process of evolution. Instinctive feelings necessary for survival, such as thirst, hunger, and sex drive, are the oldest and most primitive “emotions”, and they are present in many non-human creatures. The monitoring systems in an animal’s body send signals to the brain when the body is in need of food or water, and this triggers the firing of neurons that in turn advise the creature to search for these necessities. Because these instinctual feelings are reflex related, they originate in the brain stem of primitive creatures (do Amaral). As animals progressed and their brains advanced from just a brain stem into the cerebellum and …show more content…
For example, a man walking down a dark street is startled by a stranger who jumps out in front of him. His body goes into fight or flight mode, his heart rate and blood pressure increase, and he starts to sweat. These physiological reactions are interpreted in the brain as “fear” or “danger”. James concluded that the body’s physical reaction occurs before the emotional response, as expressed in his saying, “We feel frightened because we’re running away”. (Rolls 59)
Thirty years later, Walter Canon and Phillip Bard came up with an alternative theory. They asserted that, when one is affected by a significant experience, one’s emotional response occurs at the same time as its manifestation as a physical reaction (Boeree). A sensory message travels to the thalamus (see diagram on last page) in the brain where it splits off and continues toward two separate regions of the brain. The message is sent to the cortex, where the emotional feelings get expressed, and to the hypothalamus, where the brain decides what “physiological reaction” is appropriate (do Amaral). This theory came closer to realizing the significant roles various areas of the brain play in the sensation of emotion, but it is flawed in that it assumes the majority of emotional
The poem “since feeling is first” is written by E.E Cummings in a stanza form with a total number of 16 lines. The sentences carry no more than nine words and no less than four words. It is about a man expressing his love to his beloved women. Cummings use of literary devices such as; metaphor, personification, imagery and denotation to express his feelings. “Since feeling is first” is a romantic poem that teaches a lesson about life. Its use of literary devices make the poem appealing to the readers.
The four major theories of emotion are the James-Lange theory, the Cannon-Bard theory, the Schacter-Singer theory, and the Lazarus theory. The James-Lange theory claims that an event first causes physiological arousal and also a physical response. It is not until then that the person interprets the physical response as an emotion. The Cannon-Bard theory states that emotion -provoking stimuli are received by the senses and are then relayed simultaneously to the cerebral cortex, which provides the conscious mental experience of the emotion, and to the sympathetic nervous system, which produces the physiological state of arousal. The Schacter-Singer theory states that for an emotion to occur there must first be a physiological arousal, and second there must be an explanation for the arousal. The Lazarus theory is the theory that an emotion-provoking stimulus triggers a cognitive appraisal, which is followed by the emotion and physiological arousal. The most valid theory of emotion is the Cannon-Bard theory. He says that being afraid of something not only constitutes emotional fear, but it also brings about a rapid heartbeat. Concurring with the Cannon-Bard theory, we have a many different nerve systems within the human body that can be triggered simultaneously. This theory is more valid then the rest simply because of the adrenaline that is release into your body when excited or in the mist of eminent danger. The
When the men of Agamemnon come to take Briseis, Achilles gives her up without a fight, despite how heavy his heart is at the thought of losing her. Once she is gone, Achilles withdraws from his companions and sobs, praying to his mother to understand why he is treated the way he is, why he isn’t treated with respect. His mother, hearing his laments, comes to console him, telling him that she will visit Zeus and try to sway him towards helping the Trojans and destroying the Achaeans, to make them pay for disrespecting the son of Thetis.
Dance is the beginning of the unit and therefore serves as an introduction to mental and emotions.
Emotions are used in everyday life, whether it be just a simple smile that makes happiness disperse in your brain, or a death of a loved one that causes sadness. The basic emotions are joy, interest, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, fear, shame, and guilt. The way we see emotion in ourselves and others can be very complex because we sometimes assume they feel a certain way just based on their actions or even facial expressions. When emotion is discussed in psychological terms, it is not based on one thing, instead it’s a mix of bodily arousal, expressive behaviors, conscious experience. Many theories try to explain how emotion works.
The human brain contains specific neurochemical systems that create feelings in us. Over many studies, scientists
emotions in a ‘man-made’ species is not far off in a non-organic life-form, but the question with
If you’re not paying attention, the mind can be a tricky labyrinth. The less you know about it, the more inexplicable and frightening it becomes. For example, why do seemingly benign elephants wreak havoc upon villages? In “An Elephant Crackup,” Charles Siebert explores the aberrant nature of these elephants and correlates them to their traumatizing upbringing, deprived of community and kinship. The biochemistry of the human mind, analyzed in “Love2.0” by Barbara Frederickson, serves as a worthy addendum to Siebert’s conjecture. “Love2.0” explains that the brain, hormones, and nerves work in unison to build emotional fortitude, stimulate oneself, and express positivity resonance. Siebert’s ideas of elephant culture and trans-species psyche can put Frederickson’s theory of emotions into practice. The absence of certain hormones within elephants, provided their fragmented community, can explain their volatile outbreaks. Alternatively, the reinstitution of human parental roles into elephant culture can help reconstruct their broken emotional states of elephants and rebuild their resilience; this healing process can also extend to humans.
Emotional intelligence is a term I had never heard of before I took my first leadership class. Now that I know what emotional intelligence is and I understand how to use it I hope to apply it to benefit myself and my organizations. I recognize what a huge disadvantage those that do not understand emotional intelligence are faced with. Emotional Intelligence has become a vital part of how today's leaders meet the many various challenges they face on a day to day basis. Emotional Intelligence can help leaders lead their group or organization through the good and the bad times, something that fewer and fewer people seem capable of accomplishing. Lack of emotional intelligence is
Emotions can make a powerful or hollow connection between two people. Although a person’s emotions can define their relationship with someone else, emotions can also separate the two people. Relationships can be more meaningful when the people involved are on the same page. Positive emotional connections create stability in relationships.
Chapter twelve in Brain Based Learning covered the importance and influence of emotion on learning. Initially, it was thought that the mind, body, and feeling were separate, but recent studies show that there isn’t a division. However, there is a difference in emotions and feelings. While emotions are biological and universal, feelings are influenced and created based on the surrounding culture. Studies have show that individuals with an impaired prefrontal lobe and/or amygdala show limited ability to have emotion, thus impairing learning capabilities. On the flip side, experiencing an over abundance of emotion can have a negative impact on productivity. The chapter continues to describe scenarios that further describe the importance of the
Researchers have debated about the phenomenon with emotions. Debates on this topic have and will continue to for many more years. Researchers have attempted to understand why one has emotions and came up with the five different theories. The first theory is the James-Lange theory, which argues that an event can cause physiological arousal first and, it can be interpret this as an arousal. Second theory is the Cannon-Bard theory that argues that all humans experience a physiological arousal and an emotional one at the same time. It still does not give any attention to the role of the thoughts or an outward
Chapter 2 is centered on the early attempts to identify the brain’s components of emotions. Key researchers that are discussed are a Cornell neuroanatomist, James Papez, and aforementioned physician and neuroscientist Paul MacLean, who worked at Yale and the National Institutes of Mental Health. Together, this pair of researchers conducted seminal medial temporal lobe lesion experiments. The resulting idea was that the emotional brain is composed of a set of interconnected structures in the core of the brain. MacLean dubbed these structures as the “limbic system”. The function of the limbic system and it relationship to emotion was widely debated by many researchers.
When talking about emotion it seems a fairly simple topic and immediately "feeling" words come to mind; sad, happy, and confused. These are basic emotions and easy to understand. What isn't so simple about emotions is their process and how they form and work. Emotions are reactions to sensory information like sight, smell, taste, touch and sound (Tracing Emotion’s Pathways 94). However, it is not that simple; an emotional reaction or response is made aware of and understood by a part of the brain called the sensory cortex. These emotional responses or reactions to sensory stimuli are processed by a part of the brain called the amygdala (What’s An Emotion). The amygdala is a huge asset to the cognitive factors of emotions because in processing emotions you become able to understand, recognize, and control them. So then how do emotions evoke a physiological reaction such as tearing up when one feels sad, laughing with joy, and trembling with fear? These physiological reactions that one may experience come from the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is, “a collection of fibers that extend throughout
The dictionary describes introspection as the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes. Kevin Woods stated, “Introspection are all about getting to know yourself at the core, uncovering your values and then deciding for yourself what’s the best action to take.” Your emotions and feelings play a major role in why we do things. If we listen to our feelings then we can find more things about us that we didn’t know. This could benefit us and help us appreciate more things and live but also may make us overthink some times. Karl Perera mentioned, “Introspection is good in small doses. If you are feeling very tired or have no energy and can’t find a solution as things keep rolling through your mind over and over then it is time to stop.” Overall, everyone connects with things differently; it is interesting to notice how you feel in certain situations.