This document discusses emotions and their purpose. It begins by asking why we have emotions and what they are for. It then explains that emotions evolved to promote beneficial behaviors in common situations and add an evaluative dimension to decision making. It describes the components of an emotion as the subjective feeling, cognitive reaction, physiological reaction, and behavioral reaction. It also discusses two common classification systems for emotions put forth by Robert Plutchik and Richard Lazarus that identify primary emotions and how other emotions are combinations of these. The document ends by noting that while emotions can sometimes produce irrational behaviors, input from our emotional systems is important for solid decision making.

1. Emotions I
Why Emotions?
Classification of Emotions
Emotion and Reason
Why Emotions?
n Emotions seem to “take control” on occasion,
biasing our perceptions and motivating us to
behave in particular ways.
n We sometimes do things that seem irrational
when under the influence of the “passions,”
and we tend to hold a person less
accountable for such acts.
n So why do we have emotions? What are they
for?
What Emotions Are For
n Emotions are brain mechanisms that
have evolved to promote the “right”
behaviors under certain commonly
encountered circumstances.
n Emotions add an evaluative dimension
to experience, which turns out to be
crucial for rational decision-making.
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2. Components of an Emotion
n Affect
n This is subjective feeling: happiness, sadness,
anger, etc.
n Cognitive reaction
n You recognize, or “know” what happened.
n Physiological reaction
n Internal changes occur involving the autonomic
nervous system and hormones.
n Behavioral reaction
n You feel disposed to behave in particular ways,
depending on the emotion (e.g., lashing out at
someone when angry).
Classifying the Emotions
n Several attempts have been made to
classify emotions.
n Such schemes try to identify “primary”
or “basic” emotions. Other emotions
are then viewed as combinations of the
primary emotions.
n Two such schemes were provided by
Robert Plutchik and Richard Lazarus
Plutchik’s Classification
n Eight primary emotions
n Each emotion has associated with it a
n Common stimulus
n Typical behavior
n Each emotion can vary in intensity;
emotions we give different names may
be the same emotion at various
intensities.
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3. Plutchik’s Eight Primary
Emotions (First Four)
Anger Blocking of goal- Destruction of
directed behavior Obstacle
Fear Threat or danger Protection
Sadness Loss of Search for help
something valued and comfort
Disgust Something Rejection;
gruesome or pushing away
loathsome
Plutchik’s Eight Primary
Emotions (Last Four)
Surprise A sudden, novel Orientation;
stimulus turning toward
Curiosity A new place or Exploration and
environment searching
Acceptance A member of Sharing; taking
one’s own group; in; incorporating
something of
value
Joy Potential mate Reproduction;
courting; mating
Lazarus’ Classification
n Richard Lazarus proposed a system of fifteen
basic emotions.
n He associated each of these with a “relational
theme” – a specific relationship or interaction
between people and their environments.
n Examples
n Anger: Relational theme is a demeaning offense
against me and mine.
n Guilt: Having transgressed a moral imperative.
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4. Emotion and Reason
n Behavior promoted by emotions may not suit
the current circumstances so that it appears
irrational or produces undesirable effects.
n Examples: Attacking the boss for not giving you
an expected raise; Poor public -speaking
performance due to evaluation apprehension.
n Antonio Damasio proposed, based on clinical
studies of brain-damaged individuals, that
solid decision-making requires input from
emotional-evaluative systems.
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