SCIE10004 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Immunosuppression, Sympathetic Magic, Pedophilia
29 Jun 2018
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WEEK 8 – PSYCHOLOGY – EMOTIONS (PART 2)
Sympathetic magic
• Disgust operates in a way that resembles magic (symbolic) based on imitation or
correspondence
• Merely looking like a disgusting object = enough to be disgusting
o Plastic dog faeces: can't suppress feelings of associating it to actual dog poo
• Contact w/ disgusting object = contaminating
o Sterilised cockroach
Oral to moral
• Disgust started out as food rejection emotion --> broadened to violations of social
norms
• Moral outrage at particular violations (paedophilia, extreme unfairness)
o Not just angry at pedo --> disgusted
o Extend bad taste to disgust
o Moral revolting = disgust
• Extension of revulsion to morality contaminating behaviour
MORALITY OF DISGUST:
• Disgust can amplify moral judgement --> especially to perceived violations of 'purity'
• Behaviours judged more negatively under
o hypnotically induced disgust --> more morally condemning
o disgusting smells
Disgust sensitivity 1
• Substantial differences between people in tendencies to experience disgust
o Some people are not disgusted --> others are rlly sensitive to it
• Variety of important phenomena
o Personality
• Neuroticism - higher (proneness to -ve feelings)
§ Disgust = more likely to feel threatened
• Sensation-seeking - lower (seeking insight)
§ Disgust = more reluctant to engage w/ the world --> more held back
o Mental illness
• Phobias
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) --> i.e. cleaning compulsion
§ Being prone to disgust
Disgust sensitivity 2
• Associated with gender and social attitudes
• Gender
o Greater disgust-proneness in women
• Political attitudes
o More disgust among conservatives
• Prejudices
o Disgust-proneness linked to homophobia
Disgust and disease avoidance:
Document Summary
Week 8 psychology emotions (part 2) Morality of disgust: disgust can amplify moral judgement --> especially to perceived violations of "purity, behaviours judged more negatively under, hypnotically induced disgust --> more morally condemning, disgusting smells. Disgust sensitivity 1: substantial differences between people in tendencies to experience disgust, some people are not disgusted --> others are rlly sensitive to it, variety of important phenomena, personality, neuroticism - higher (proneness to -ve feelings) Disgust = more likely to feel threatened: sensation-seeking - lower (seeking insight) Disgust = more reluctant to engage w/ the world --> more held back: mental illness, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) --> i. e. cleaning compulsion. Being prone to disgust: associated with gender and social attitudes, gender, greater disgust-proneness in women, political attitudes, more disgust among conservatives, prejudices, disgust-proneness linked to homophobia. Temporary disease threat: more sensitive when disease threat is high. Increased disgust when people are immunosuppressed (greater disgust in 1st trimester)
