PSY 244 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Protective Factor, Object Permanence, Psychoanalytic Theory
Document Summary
Emotions: subjective reactions to the environment that are usually experienced cognitively as either pleasant or unpleasant, generally accompanied by physiological arousal, and often expressed in some form of visible behavior. Emotions are means of letting others know how we feel. Success in communicating emotions and in learning to interpret other people"s emotions is linked with our success. Primary emotions (fear, joy, disgust, surprise, sadness, and interest) emerge early in life and don"t require introspection or self-reflection. Secondary emotions (pride, shame, guilt, jealousy, and embarrassment emerge later in development and depend on our sense of self and our awareness of other individuals" reactions to our actions. Emotional development is influenced by: genetic inheritance, conditions of the environment into which they are born, their interactions with family members, and later with peers. Emotions are best seen as products of biological factors; individual differences in temperament play a central role in how intensely children react to emotionally arousing situations.
