EMOTIONS LAZARUS' COGNITIVE-MEDIATIONAL

- complex state of feeling that results in THEORY

physical and psychological changes that - interpretation of arousal that results in the
influence thought and behavior
emotion

PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNS appraisal of labelling of bodily

- increased heart rate (fear, anger, sadness)

stimulus emotion response
- skin conductance (disgust, happiness)

- blood pressure (anger)

STRESS
- rapid breathing, dilated pupils, dry mouth
- physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
responses to threatening/challenging events

ASSOCIATED PARTS IN THE BRAIN STRESSOR

1) AMYGDALA
- internal/external stress-causing event

- fear, facial expressions

- low road - faster response

DISTRESS
- high road - slower response
- unpleasant stress that is harmful to one's
2) FRONTAL LOBE
health & well-being

- left side - positive

EUSTRESS
- right side - negative
- optimum stress that promotes one's health &
3) ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX
well-being

- distraction from stress

TYPES OF STRESSORS
EXPRESSIONS OF EMOTION (acc. to 1) CATASTROPHES

Ekman's research) - unpredictable, large-scale, tremendous stress

- 7 basic emotions (joy, anger, fear, sadness, - can lead to severe stress-disorders (PTSD)

disgust, surprise, contempt)

2) MAJOR LIFE CHANGES

- milestones

DISPLAY RULES
- require major adjustment

- learned ways of controlling emotions in social 3) HASSLES

settings
- daily experience

- depends on developmental stage

DISPLAY RULES CAN DIFFER IN:

1) CULTURE
PSYCHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS TO STRESS
- individualistic vs collectivist
1) PRESSURE

2) AGE
- urgent demand from external source

3) GENDER
2) UNCONTROLLABILITY

4) CONTEXT
- less control = more stress

- public vs private
3) FRUSTRATION

- prevented from fulfilling a need

LABELLING THE EMOTION - source: EXTERNAL or INTERNAL

- cognitive element
- solution: PERSISTENCE, AGGRESSION
- learned response in language & culture (displaced aggression**), ESCAPE

 4) CONFLICT

- torn between two incompatible desires/goals

a) APPROACH-APPROACH (win-win)

b) AVOIDANCE-AVOIDANCE (lesser of 2 evils)

c) APPROACH-AVOIDANCE (pros-cons of one)

d) MULTIPLE APPROACH-AVOIDANCE (pros-

cons of many)

GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME

alarm resistance exhaustion

- first reaction - hormone release - gone = resource

STRESS & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

- responds the same way like a disease

- short-term, not chronic

- can cause CHD, cancer, diabetes

LAZARUS' COGNITIVE-APPARAISAL
APPROACH
1) PRIMARY APPRAISAL

- estimating severity of stressory

- classifying as threat/etc

2) SECONDARY APPRAISAL

- estimate the resources that they have to cope

TYPE A
- workaholic, competitive

TYPE B
- laid-back

COPING STRATEGIES
- help minimize the effect of stressors

1) PROBLEM-FOCUSED

- eliminating or changing stressor itself

2) EMOTION-FOCUSED

- changing how one feels towards stressor