Lazarus theory of emotion

Lazarus' theory of emotion

Emotion

Developed off of James-Lange theory: emotions are more of a result of physiological occurences.

Furthered this research to conclude that emotions are actually functional. They are determined by our appraisal of a situation.

Appraisal: the way in which a person interprets a situation in respect to how it will affect their current well-being or their future.

Cognition

Thought must occur before an emotion or physiological response can take place.

No thought, no emotion.

Details

Examples

Example 1: You are walking down a dark alley late at night. You hear footsteps behind you and you think it may be a mugger so you begin to tremble, your heart beats faster,and your breathing deepens and at the same time experience fear.

Example 2: You're buying a few last-minute items at the gas station, when two young men in hooded sweatshirts enter the store in a hurry, with their hands in their jacket pockets. You think perhaps they're here to rob the place, so you get scared, and your feel like youmight throw up.

Methodologies

The first being the separation made between different emotions and the nature ofeach emotion. He studied the differences between fear, joy, guilt, and grief and whatdistinguished one from the other.

Methodologies

(contd.)

Studying the situation prior to the emotion in order to determine what evoked theemotion in the first place to occur.

Assumptions

(limitations)

Limitations:

Redcutionistic in reference to emotions. (assumption that emotions mean the same thing to everyone)

Assumptions

(strengths)

Strengths:

• Mental processes not prevoiusly mentioned in James-Lange theory.
• Understanding of sociocultural influences allow for high ecological external validity.

Richard Lazarus

Psychologist extraodinaire

Theories

Relates to

researchers

In chronological order....

James-

Lange Theory

Cannon-bard

theory

Schachter-

Singer theory

Model

Yay models!

Experience an event

Leads to emotion

and Physiological

response.

Some of these terms may be confusing because they sound similar......

We can help with that.....

1. Appraisal: Nature of cognitions, which underlie separate emotional reactions.

2. Appraisal Theory: is the idea that emotions are extracted from our evaluations (appraisals) of events that cause specific reactions in different people.

3. Primary Appraisal: Evaluation of the significance of a stressor or threatening event.

4. Secondary Appraisal: Evaluation of the controllability of the stressor and a person’s coping resources.

5. Coping: is intimately related to the concept of cognitive appraisal and, hence, to the stress- relevant person-environment transactions.

Thanks!

By: Toni Mastrota, Sarah Cooke, and Pooja Shah

Now time to see how much you really learned.....

Thinking of how to

react

(cc) photo by Metro Centric on Flickr

(cc) photo by jimmyharris on Flickr

(cc) photo by Metro Centric on Flickr

(cc) photo by Franco Folini on Flickr

Cognitive Appraisal Theory