Love Story
Please submit a one (1) page paper on your Love Story.
Based on the material covered within Chapter 8: Motivation, Emotion & Love. Please ensure your use terms and concepts from Chapter 8 to explain a time when you were in love with another person. Please use as many real life examples to explain this concept.
Motivation, Emotion & Love
Lamar J. White, PhD
Introduction to General Psychology
Learning Objectives
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
LO 11.2 Identify unconscious influences on emotion.
LO 11.3 Explain the importance of nonverbal expression of emotion.
LO 11.4 Identify major lie detection methods and their pitfalls.
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
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Theories of emotion
Nonverbal expression of emotion
Happiness and self-esteem
Attraction, love, and hate
Emotions
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Mental states or feelings associated with our evaluation of our experiences
Discrete emotions theory – Humans experience a small number of distinct emotions, though they may combine in complex ways.
Emotions have biological roots and serve evolutionary functions.
LO 11.1
Discrete Emotions Theory
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
If evolutionary in nature, emotions should be universal.
Good support for seven primary emotions:
Happiness, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, anger, and contempt
“Pride” may also be a primary emotion
These combine to form secondary emotions.
LO 11.1
Cultural Differences in Expression
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Cultures differ in display rules – how and when to express emotion.
Do not influence emotion itself, but instead its overt expression
Emotions and Physiology
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Able to differentiate some primary emotions physiologically
Heart rate increases more with negative emotions.
Digestive systems slows down with fear.
LO 11.1
Emotions and Physiology
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Not all are different, though.
Happy and sad look the same in brain scans.
Multiple brain regions are active in all emotions.
LO 11.1
Real vs Fake Emotions
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Certain components of facial expression allow us to distinguish when someone is showing a genuine emotion.
Duchenne vs Pan Am (fake) smiles
LO 11.1
Cognitive Theories of Emotion
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Posit that emotions are products of thinking, rather than the other way around
No discrete emotions; there are as many emotions as there are kinds of thoughts.
Earliest theories were James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories
LO 11.1
Cognitive Theories of Emotion
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
James-Lange theory proposes that emotions result from our interpretations of our bodily reactions to stimuli.
Cannon-Bard theory instead says an emotion-provoking event leads simultaneously to an emotional and bodily reaction.
LO 11.1
Figure 11.2 What Triggers Emotions? The James–Lange and Cannon–Bard theories differ in their views of how emotions are generated.
Cognitive Theories of Emotion
LO 11.1 Describe the major theories of emotion.
Damasio’s somatic marker theory says that we use our “gut reactions” to gauge how we should act.
Two-factor theory states that emotions are produced by an undifferentiated arousal, with an attribution of that arousal.
LO 11.1
Unconscious Influences on Emotion
LO 11.2 Identify unconscious influences on emotion.
Many emotional reactions may be generated automatically.
Subliminal exposure to positive or negative cues influences moods.
Mere exposure effect and liking more familiar stimuli
LO 11.2
Unconscious Influences on Emotion
LO 11.2 Identify unconscious influences on emotion.
Facial feedback hypothesis states that you are more likely to feel emotions that correspond to your facial features.
Supporting research, but could be due to classical conditioning
LO 11.2
Nonverbal Expression of Emotion
LO 11.3 Explain the importance of nonverbal expression of emotion.
Much emotional expression is nonverbal.
Facial expressions, gestures, postures
Nonverbal leakage is often a powerful cue that we are trying to hide an emotion.
Very important to communication
LO 11.3
Body Language and Gestures
LO 11.3 Explain the importance of nonverbal expression of emotion.
Posture can communicate emotions, largely in unconscious ways.
Gestures can also convey emotion, as through illustrators (emphasis) or manipulators (stress).
Emblems are more culture-specific gestures.
OK sign, waving, thumbs up
LO 11.3
Personal Space
LO 11.3 Explain the importance of nonverbal expression of emotion.
Proxemics is the study of personal space.
Four levels of distance:
Public (12 feet or more)
Social (4-12 feet)
Personal (1.5-4 feet)
Intimate (0-1.5 feet)
Moderate cultural and sex differences
LO 11.3
Lying and Lie Detection
LO 11.4 Identify major lie detection methods and their pitfalls.
Most people are not good at detecting lies.
Little or no correlation between people’s confidence in their ability to detect lies and their accuracy
LO 11.4
Figure 11.6 Who Can Catch a Liar? Data from Paul Ekman and his colleagues on the accuracy levels of different occupational groups in detecting deception; the chance rate of accuracy in these studies is 50 percent. Several groups do only somewhat better than chance, with law enforcement officers (including police) actually doing slightly worse than chance. (Based on data from Ekman, O’Sullivan, & Frank, 1999)
LO 11.4
Polygraph
LO 11.4 Identify major lie detection methods and their pitfalls.
“Lie detector” test that rests on the assumption of a Pinocchio response
Records autonomic activity
Yields high rates of false positives
It’s biased against the innocent!
Not admissible in most courts of law
LO 11.4
Other Lie Detection Methods
LO 11.4 Identify major lie detection methods and their pitfalls.
Guilty Knowledge Test
Brain fingerprinting using imaging techniques
Integrity tests – assess tendency to lie, cheat, or steal
All have less than perfect records of detecting lies; some have high false-positive rates also.
LO 11.4
What Happiness is Good For
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
May produce enduring physical and psychological benefits
Broaden and build theory says happiness predisposes us to think more openly, allowing us to see the “big picture.”
Optimism makes life easier.
LO 11.5
What Makes Us Happy
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
Many misconceptions abound. For example:
The prime determinant of happiness is what happens to us.
Money makes us happy.
Happiness declines in old age.
People on the West coast are the happiest.
LO 11.5
What Makes Us Happy
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
Things that are related to happiness include:
Being married
Having many friends
Graduating college
Being deeply religious
LO 11.5
What Makes Us Happy
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
Things that are related to happiness include:
Political affiliation
Level of gratitude
Giving to others
Being in the midst of flow
LO 11.5
Forecasting Happiness
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
We are very bad at affective forecasting, displaying a consistent durability bias.
Our moods tend to adapt to external circumstances (hedonic treadmill).
We bounce up and down around our happiness “set point” but rarely move for good.
LO 11.5
Self-Esteem
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
A person’s evaluation of their worth
Many pop psych sources cite low self-esteem as the cause of all unhappiness and misery.
No scientific evidence for this
Single-variable explanation
Low relationship to success
LO 11.5
Realities of Self-Esteem
LO 11.5 Identify common myths and realities about happiness and self-esteem.
High self-esteem is associated with greater initiative and persistence.
Related to positive illusions, the tendency to perceive ourselves more positively than others do
LO 11.5
Human Sexual Response
LO 11.10 Describe the human sexual response cycle and factors that influence sexual activity.
Sexual response cycle contains four phases:
Excitement phase
Plateau phase
Orgasm (climax) phase
Resolution phase
LO 11.10
Sexuality and Culture
LO 11.10 Describe the human sexual response cycle and factors that influence sexual activity.
As people age, the frequency of sex decreases but satisfaction does not.
Social norms help shape the way people express sexual desire.
Kissing in Western cultures
Biting off eyebrows in Apinaly tribe of Brazil
LO 11.10
Sexual Orientation
LO 11.11 Identify common misconceptions about and potential influences on sexual orientation.
Homosexual behavior has been documented in over 450 species.
Approximately 2.8% of males and 1.4% of females identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
APA sees same-sex attraction as a normal variation of human sexuality, and does not support use of therapy to change orientations.
LO 11.11
Sexual Orientation
LO 11.11 Identify common misconceptions about and potential influences on sexual orientation.
Evidence from twin studies show that genes influence sexual orientation.
Bem’s exotic becomes erotic theory recognizes interplay of nature and nurture.
Prenatal exposure to androgens has been implicated in sexual orientation.
LO 11.11
Sexual Orientation
LO 11.11 Identify common misconceptions about and potential influences on sexual orientation.
Possible influence of regions in the hypothalamus on orientation
Larger corpus callosum in homosexuals
Sexual orientation is most likely a complex interaction of genetic, biological, social, and cultural factors.
LO 11.11
Interpersonal Attraction
LO 11.12 Identify principles and factors that guide attraction and relationship formation.
Influenced by a number of social factors:
Proximity – nearness
Similarity – “birds of a feather”
Reciprocity – give and take
Level of physical attraction
LO 11.12
Sex Differences in Attractions
LO 11.12 Identify principles and factors that guide attraction and relationship formation.
Males place more emphasis on looks and younger mates; women, on financial resources and maturity.
Both place a premium on intelligence, dependability, and kindness.
Evolutionary vs social role models of explanation
LO 11.12
What is Attractive?
LO 11.12 Identify principles and factors that guide attraction and relationship formation.
Cross-culturally, men and women tend to agree on what is attractive.
Men like hip-to-waist ratios around .7, females like higher ones.
There are, however, cultural differences in preferences for things like body size.
LO 11.12
“Just Average”
LO 11.12 Identify principles and factors that guide attraction and relationship formation.
The more “average” a face is, the more attractive it is rated.
Holds up across cultures
Average faces are more symmetrical.
But ratings may reflect a general preference for what is more familiar.
LO 11.12
Love
LO 11.13 Describe the major types of love and the elements of love and hate.
Theorists don’t agree on how many different types of love there are.
Hatfield and Rapson say 2: passionate and companionate love
Sternberg’s triangular theory – three dimensions combining to yield 7 types of love
LO 11.13
Figure 11.16 What Is Love? According to Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, intimacy, passion, and commitment combine to form seven varieties of love, with “consummate love” being the ultimate form of love marked by high levels of all three components.
Hate
LO 11.13 Describe the major types of love and the elements of love and hate.
Sternberg sees hate as consisting of:
Negation of intimacy
Passion
Commitment
Combinations of these lead to types of hatred.
“Burning hatred” is high on all three dimensions.
LO 11.13