Assignment 1

Assignment:

1. Darwin, James, and Lazarus all have interesting views on emotion. What are the perspectives of each author?

Darwin's view on emotion focused on the  phylogenetic origin of emotion. His main questions were whether emotions had some sort of evolutionary origin, or whether they were an innovation reserved for higher species. James and Lazarus however focused on the physiological aspects of emotion and how emotions are connected to bodily responses. 

2. Please tell me how their views are similar and different. 

James proposed a view of emotions that goes against common intuition. His idea was that instead of emotions being the causes of physiological responses, the bodily actions that occur during an event are what lead to emotion. James' view on emotions smudged the connection of cognition and emotion. Lazarus also believed that emotions and physiology are tightly interconnected, but he believed that cognition was also tightly associated with emotions. His main idea is that emotions arise from cognitive processes (sometimes unconscious). Lazarus' theory on emotion leads to a better association of emotions with evolution as we understand it (compared to James' theory). 

3. Do you agree with one of the authors in particular? Why or why not?

I would say I agree with Lazarus, as the theory purported by James seems to lack experimental evidence and also goes against my intuition. Lazarus' theory makes the most sense to me because I believe that the brain is the ultimate receiver of all incoming environmental stimuli. Therefore it makes sense to me that only the brain through cognitive processes could determine the situation one is in and react accordingly. 

4. Think about the Communicative Theory explained in Oatley (2009). How can you apply this theory in your life now or in the future?

I thought it was very interesting how Oatley described communicative theory almost as a way that you can train yourself to better communicate with others. By applying some of the techniques Oatley described in the research such as emotion diaries and reading more fictional literature, I could increase my understanding of myself and others. This would help me be better at communication. 

 

5. Remember those questions I asked? Briefly revisit them now (see below). I'd like to know if the readings influenced your initial responses. How? Why?

 

What is emotion? How do we express them?

Lazarus has introduced me to viewing emotions as the results of cognitive processes. His theory seems to best support the real world situations that I have observed.

Where do our emotions come from?

Again, through Lazarus and a bit of Oatley's communicative theory, I believe that emotions stem primarily from our thought processes but are also heavily influenced by our environment.

The rest is about the same.