Emotion: Psychology and Emotions Essay

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Plato quotes, “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” According Merriam and Webster, “Emotion is defined as an aware mental reaction personally experienced as a strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body”. Emotions are in the mind and body. Emotions do not just happen to people; they have control over them do to the fact people interrupt things differently. Emotions are universal and that allows us to see emotions with other people. Emotion is made up from physical and mental components. I will explain each of the components of feeling an emotion, such as, the physiological factors, nonverbal reactions, cognitive interpretations, verbal expression and their relatedness, and then I will discuss various irrational thoughts (fallacies) that lead to illogical conclusions and hence debilitative feelings, along with the seven different fallacies. Physiological responses are the easiest part of emotion to measure, because scientists have developed special tools to measure these responses. A pounding heart, sweating, blood rushing to the face, or the release of adrenaline in response to a situation that creates intense emotion can all be measured with scientific accuracy. People have very similar internal responses to the same emotion. For example, regardless of age, race, or gender; when people are under stress, their bodies release adrenaline; this hormone helps prepare the body to either run away or fight, which is called the "fight or flight" reaction. Although the psychological part of emotions may be different for each feeling, several different emotions can produce the same physical reaction.
Cognition can be defined as the mental processes of acquiring and processing knowledge and understanding through experiences and the senses occurring within the mind. The mind cannot exist or function independently without these processes. Cognitive psychologists assume that conscious and unconscious mental processes can influence emotions, emotional experiences, and actions. This guides cognitive and rational emotive therapies, which assume that cognitions and emotions are interrelated, and that negative cognitions will lead to negative emotions. Those negative emotions may come out of people’s defective interpretations of experiences, and that is by educating consciousness and challenging and changing those beliefs that may modify our disposition. Aristotle believes people are thinking animals, meaning they can overcome their brutish emotions. Rousseau proclaims emotions give us meaning and make us special. Whereas, Hippocrates states the brain is what directs emotions.
Nonverbal reactions are considered to be the way we look at people. Some types of reactions involving behavior are examples like facial expressions, gestures, vocal rate and tone, also slumped posture, which indicates tiredness or sadness (it is more pronounced when under the influence of enhancer, such as, alcohol). It is dangerous to assume someone's nonverbal behavior. There is a connection between verbalizing emotions and nonverbal reactions. Verbal expression is the power to communicate emotion with others so they know how you feel. People overstate the strength of their feelings, which can be tricky for some. Without verbally expressing yourself, researchers have identified a wide range of problems including social isolation, unsatisfying relationships, feelings of anxiety and depression, and misdirected aggression.
Debilitating emotions are so powerful as to hinder with normal daily actions. Someone suffering from debilitating grief might not be able to cope with their job. A person with debilitating fear might not be able to leave their home. There is a distinction here between facilitative emotions, which contribute to effective functioning, and debilitative emotions, which keep us from feeling and relating effectively. Many
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