Week 4: Emotions In Relationships Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Week 4: Emotions In Relationships Deck (17)
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0
Q

Organized action sequences

A

Routine behaviors in pursuit of Higher Order Plans and goals

  • we pay attention when out routines are interrupted
  • interruptions may activate our emotions (trouble-shooting system)- they motivate us to take appropriate action
1
Q

Where do emotions come from?

A

Mandler’s (1970s) cognitive theory of emotion. To experience an emotion there must be:

  • an event or stimulus in the world; and
  • we must pay attention to that stimulus
2
Q

Primary appraisals

A

When we experience an interruption, we appraise it along two dimensions:

  • valence - is it good/bad, helpful/harmful?
  • relevance/importance - does it matter?
3
Q

Berscheid (1983) application of Mandler’s theory explain the cause of emotional experiences in close relationships

A
  • drew on Kelly’s interdependence theory (P and O)
    • P and O each has their own connected chains (intra-chains) of organized action sequences and higher order plans
  • P and O live lives on parallel tracks
  • when P and O activities interconnect, inter-chains connection are established
  • inter-chain connections determine the closeness of a couple’s relationship via frequency, strength and diversity, longevity
  • role of emotion? Close relationships are ‘meshed’, the more meshed, the higher the chance for interruptions
  • well meshed with no interruptions may seem boring, or fights can be meshed (thus little emotion)
4
Q

Emotional investment

A
  • the more interchain connections b/w P and O, the greater is their emotional investment in the relationship
  • doesn’t have to be symmetrical
  • relationships can be emotionally tranquil for one of two reasons:
    • extremely well meshed (no interruptions)
    • few interconnections - emotionally sterile
5
Q

Irony of boredom

A
  • emotionally tranquil relationship partners may not be aware of their degree of interdependence and emotional investment
  • only after major interruption, when the interconnections are exploded, is intense an prolonged emotion experienced
6
Q

How to stay happy?

A
  • positive emotions are elicited by
    • unexpected completion of OAS or HOP (e.g. Win lottery)
    • removal of previously interruptive stimulus (e.g backyard blitz cleans backyard)
  • if partner is credited for event, then love should be forthcoming
7
Q

Berscheid’s definition of romantic love:

A
  • “The sudden realisation that another person is willing and able to help you fulfil your cherished hopes and plans” you’ve found someone you can mesh
  • do new and interesting things together, make plans together that you need one another to help accomplish - create new opportunities to mesh
  • engineer pleasant surprises for one another
8
Q

Simpson’s (1987) evidence for Berscheid’s

A
  • longitudinal study of American dating students found the factors that best predicted emotional distress after breakup were the same factors that indicated relationship closeness and emotional investment
9
Q

Weakness of Berscheid’s theory

A
  • what determines the kind of emotion we will feel after an interruptive stimulus?
    • we experience more than just ‘good’ or ‘bad’ feelings
  • cognition determines the kind of emotion
    • specifically, cognitive appraisals including casual attributions
10
Q

Generating emotions

A
Step 1 
- primary appraisals 
- valence 
- relevance 
Step 2 
- secondary appraisals (including attributions) determine the kind of emotion 
 • who caused it? Who is to blame? 
 • what can I do about it? 
 • was it intentional? Typical? 
 • was it fair? 
 •  can I change it?
11
Q

Jealousy: appraisals?

A
  • always involves P, O and X - third party
  • X represents threat to O
  • who is to blame?
  • but…who is in control?
  • jealousy a mix of emotions, anger fear, sadness
12
Q

Anger, hate and hurt

A

Anger: appraisals of unfairness and injustice, moderate to high power
Hate: appraisals of being diminished and low power
Hurt: key appraisals of unexpectedness, relational devaluation, rejection, low power, high effort, low understanding

13
Q

Proximal effects on appraisals

A
  • Mood - good or bad, colour interpretations of ambiguous events and behaviors
  • Recent experiences (e.g. Watching TV; talking to friends)
14
Q

Distal effects on appraisals

A

Schemas create emotional climates
- relationship happiness schema,
- attachment schemas
- emotion schemas from family of origin
E.g. Anger
- Typically involves two or more parties; one has committed an offence
- angered person feels hot and tense, appraises event as other-caused, unfair, controllable, intentional, deserving of punishment, feels urge to retaliate
- angered person responds with protest behaviors, offender apology, denial or retaliation may follow.
* problems when partners hold different emotion scripts

15
Q

What follows emotion?

A

Different emotions elicit different kinds of motivations and behaviors

  • sadness - motivates withdrawal
  • anxiety - motives comfort-seeking
  • anger - motivates confrontation
  • love - motivates physical closeness
16
Q

The interactional cycle

A
  • P’s emotional response (e.g. Angry protest after an O-caused interruption appraised as negative, important, unfair, uncontrollable) becomes an interruption for O
  • O appraises P’s behavior, experiences emotion and responds emotionally
  • O’s behavior becomes stimulus