BPCS-183 Study Notes — Block 1 Unit 1: Concept of Emotion

According to Plutchik (2001): Emotion is a complex chain of loosely connected events that begins with a stimulus and includes feelings, psychological changes, impulses to action and specific goal-directed behaviour.

In simple words: An emotion is the automatic physical and mental reaction triggered by an event, person or situation — before you are even consciously aware of it.

• Emotion — An instant, automatic physical response of the body to a trigger. Happens without conscious awareness. Very short in duration.
• Feeling — The conscious awareness of the emotion. You recognise and label what you are experiencing. Also short in duration.
• Mood — A low-intensity emotional state that lasts for a long time (hours or days). May not have any clear cause.

Key rule: Emotions create feelings. Feelings that persist become moods.

When emotions serve as communication between people, they are performing interpersonal functions:

• Emotional expressions signal to others how you feel about them or a situation
• Help initiate and manage relationships
• A smile invites others to come closer; a frown signals displeasure
• Showing sadness may encourage others to show sympathy or offer help
• Darwin (1872) noted that emotional expression helps humans warn others of danger and detect signs of aggression — this has survival value

In short: Our emotions are a communication tool that tells others what we need, what we intend, and how we feel.

The Cognitive Component of emotions determines judgments, predictions and analysis of thoughts. This component involves assigning meaning to an experienced emotion — thinking about why it is happening, what it means, and what might happen next. The cognitive component is where the mind evaluates and interprets emotional experiences.

Culture creates 'display rules' — unspoken rules about which emotions are acceptable to show, in what way, and in which situations:

• In many eastern cultures, men are expected to show anger but discouraged from crying (seen as weakness)
• In western/individualistic cultures, expressing emotions more openly is generally more acceptable
• Collective cultures value group harmony and may discourage open negative emotional expression
• Workplaces also have cultural rules — showing too much affection may be seen as unprofessional

Key takeaway: What emotion you feel may be universal, but HOW and WHETHER you show it is shaped by your culture.

Emotions have five main components that work together to create a complete emotional experience:

• 1. Affective: The subjective, personal feeling — the inner experience of the emotion. Example: Feeling a sinking sense of shame.
• 2. Cognitive: The thinking component — interpreting and assigning meaning. Example: "What will others think of me?"
• 3. Physiological: Physical bodily reactions. Example: Palms sweating, heart racing, face turning red.
• 4. Motivational (Action Tendency): The urge to act — approach or avoid. Example: The urge to run away or hide.
• 5. Expressive: Displaying emotion through facial expressions and body language. Example: Tears forming, head hanging low.

Full Example (Jhanvi): Her boss shouts at her. Her heart races and palms sweat (physiological), she thinks "I might lose my job" (cognitive), she feels shame and anxiety (affective), her face turns red and eyes tear up (expressive), and she has the urge to run to the restroom (motivational).

Emotions, thoughts and behaviour are inextricably linked — they constantly influence each other in a cycle:

• An event or stimulus happens
• You think about it and interpret it (cognitive appraisal)
• Based on your interpretation, you feel an emotion
• Based on what you feel, you take action (behaviour)
• Your action leads to further events, which create more thoughts and emotions — the cycle continues

Key point: The same event can produce different emotions and behaviours in different people simply because they interpreted it differently.

Example: Your friend shouts at you. If you think "they are upset" → confusion → calmly ask why. If you think "they are being rude" → anger → shout back.

Cognitive appraisal is the process of evaluating and interpreting the personal meaning of an event that results in a specific emotion. In simple words: it is how you make sense of what is happening and what it means for you.

Why is it useful?

• Explains why different people feel different emotions from the same event
• Gives us power over our emotions — changing our appraisal changes what we feel
• Helps reduce stress and promotes well-being even in difficult situations
• Explains how therapies like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) work

Example: Your project gets rejected. Appraisal 1 — "I am a failure" → Sadness. Appraisal 2 — "This is feedback to improve" → Motivation. Same event, completely different outcome — just from changing the appraisal.

Emotions are BOTH potentially disruptive AND useful — it depends on how we use them.

Emotions are USEFUL when:

• Fear alerts us to danger and protects us — it has survival value
• Anger signals injustice and gives us energy to fight for our rights
• Happiness expands creative thinking and helps us connect with others
• Even sadness encourages more careful, thorough thinking

Emotions can be DISRUPTIVE when:

• We cannot manage or control them — extreme anxiety can cause "freezing" on stage
• They arise in wrong contexts — uncontrolled anger in a professional setting
• We are unaware of them — acting on hidden emotions without realising it

Conclusion: Emotions themselves are neither good nor bad. Their impact depends on our emotional intelligence — our ability to recognise, understand and manage them effectively.