1. Chapter 4: Emotions: Thinking, Feeling, and Acting
PowerPoint Presentation to accompany Looking Out, Looking In, Tenth Edition
Chapter 4: Emotions: Thinking, Feeling, and Acting
Presentation prepared by Dr. Michael Pearson, Gretchen Gill, and Tim Scanlon of West Chester University
Copyright © 2002 Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
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Copyright © 2002 Thomson Learning, Inc. 1

2. Emotions:Thinking, Feeling, and Acting
CHAPTER 4
Emotions:Thinking, Feeling, and
Acting 2

3. Emotions: Thinking, Feeling, and Acting
What are Emotions?
Verbal Expression
Types of Emotions
Influences on Emotional Expression
Guidelines for Expressing Emotions
Managing Difficult Emotions 3

4. What are Emotions? Physiological Changes
When a person has strong emotions, many bodily changes occur.
Proprioceptive stimuli: they are activated by the movement of internal tissues
Increased heartbeat
Rise in blood pressure
Dilation of the pupils 4

5. What are Emotions? Nonverbal Reactions Observable changes blushing
sweating
distinctive facial expression
posture 5

6. Cognitive Interpretations
What are Emotions?
Cognitive Interpretations
The mind plays an important role in determining how we feel.
Verbal Expression
Labeling our emotions can be very difficult:
e.g. Is someone trembling because of fear or because of excitement? 6

7. Types of Emotions Primary and Mixed Emotions
Primary Emotions- basic emotions (inside the perimeter of the wheel)
Mixed Emotions- a combination of primary emotions (outside the wheel) 7

8. Types of Emotions Intense and Mild Emotions
This model shows the importance not only of choosing the right emotional family when expressing yourself, but also of describing the strength of the feeling. 8

9. Influences on Emotional Expression
Culture
People from all over have the same emotions. No matter where they’re from, people feel happy, sad, surprised, angry, and disgusted. However, the same events do not always bring out the same emotions.
Individualistic cultures: people feel comfortable revealing their feelings to others who are close to them (e.g. United States & Canada)
Collectivistic cultures: discourage expression of any negative emotions that might upset relationships among people who belong to the in-group (e.g. Japan and India) 9

10. Influences on Emotional Expression
Gender
Females - express positive emotions and feelings of vulnerability
Males - rarely express their feelings but might reveal strengths
Factors in expressing feelings - gender, being familiar with the partner, and difference in power. 10

11. Social Conventions and Social Rules
Influences on Emotional Expression
Social Conventions and Social Rules
In the US, the unwritten rule is the discouragement of showing your emotions in public.
Emotions that are shared are usually positive (however, never too much positive emotion).
Teachers and managers are expected to keep their emotions under control. 11

12. Influences on Emotional Expression
Emotional Contagion
Emotional Contagion: the process by which emotions are transferred from one person to another.
Emotions are “infectious”
e.g. If we hang out with a grouch, then we ourselves get put into a bad mood 12

13. Fear of Self-Disclosure
Influences on Emotional Expression
Fear of Self-Disclosure
Revealing your emotions can seem risky
A person who musters up enough courage to share his or her feelings runs the risk of an unpleasant consequence. For example:
a wink and smile – unwanted romance
confession of uncertainty – weakness
emotional honesty – people feel uncomfortable 13

14. Recognize Your Feelings
Guidelines for Expressing Emotions
Recognize Your Feelings
Answer this question, “How do you feel?”
Monitor your nonverbal behavior.
Monitor your thoughts as well as your actions.
Think About How to Describe Feelings
Use single words: “excited” or “depressed”
What’s happening to you: “I’m on top of the world”
What you’d like to do: “I feel like giving up” 14

15. Guidelines for Expressing Emotions
Share Multiple Feelings
“I’m mad at you for not showing up. I’m also disappointed I didn’t see you.”
“I get mad when you flirt. I care about you a lot, and I hate to think that you don’t feel the same.”
Recognize the Difference Between Feeling, Talking, and Acting
Feeling something, talking about it, and then acting on that
feeling can sometimes be disastrous or liberating
Understand the consequences of your actions 15

16. Guidelines for Expressing Emotions
Accept responsibility for your feelings
Instead of, “You make me so angry” say, “I am feeling angry”
Consider when and where to express your feelings
Wait until you have thought out carefully how
you might express your feelings in a way that
would be most likely to be heard. 16

17. Managing Difficult Emotions
Facilitative and Debilitative Emotions
Facilitative Emotions - emotions that contribute to effective functioning
Debilitative Emotions - emotions that prevent a person from functioning effectively 17

18. Managing Difficult Emotions
Thoughts Cause Feelings
It is not events such as meeting strangers or being jilted by a lover that cause people to feel bad, but rather the beliefs they hold about these events.
Interpretations that people make of an event, during the process of self-talk, determine feelings.
Event Thought Feeling
Being called names “ I’ve done some hurt, upset
thing wrong”
Being called names “My friend must concern,
be sick” sympathy 18

19. Managing Difficult Emotions
Irrational Thinking and Debilitative Emotions
Many debilitative emotions come from accepting
irrational thoughts:
1. The Fallacy of Perfection
2. The Fallacy of Approval
3. The Fallacy of Shoulds
4. The Fallacy of Overgeneralization
5. The Fallacy of Causation
6. The Fallacy of Helplessness
7. The Fallacy of Catastrophic Expectations 19

20. Managing Difficult Emotions
Minimizing Debilitative Emotions
1. Monitor your emotional reactions.
2. Note the activating event.
3. Record your self-talk.
4. Dispute your irrational beliefs. 20