FOUNDATIONS OF BEHAVIOR

CHAPTER 1 NOTES

DEFINITION
1. Emotion can be defined as the “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterized by three
elements: a certain physical arousal, a certain behavior that reveals the feeling to the
outside world, and an inner awareness of the feeling.

2. Emotions are feelings that generally have both physiological and cognitive elements and
that influence behavior.

CLASSIFICATION OF EMOTIONS
1. Primary Emotions- happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, and fear.

Primary emotions are the core, underlying feelings that are most fundamental to an individual’s
experience in a given situation. They are not reactions to other emotions, but are the original,
direct emotional responses.

They constitute the basic emotions expressed universally by members of the human race,
regardless of where individuals have been raised and what learning experiences they have had.

Psychologist Paul Ekman convincingly demonstrated this when he studied the members of an
isolated New Guinea jungle tribe who had had almost no contact with Westerners (Ekman,
1972). The people of the tribe didn’t speak or understand English, had never seen a movie, and
had had very limited experience with Caucasians before Ekman’s arrival. Yet their nonverbal
responses to emotion evoking stories, as well as their ability to identify basic emotions, were
quite similar to those of Westerners.

Imagine that you find out you won a competition, and your primary emotion may be to feel
extreme joy. Or if you receive some bad news that you were not expecting, you may feel a
surge of sadness.

These primary emotions are the body’s first response directly connected to the event or
stimulus.

2. Secondary emotions
Secondary emotions are the emotions that are often felt after the primary emotion has been
experienced. They are the reactions to our primary emotions and are often habitual or learned
responses.

For instance, after feeling the primary emotion of anger, you may feel the secondary emotion of
shame afterward; instead of feeling joy, you may feel relief or pride; instead of feeling fear, you
may feel hateful.
Secondary emotions are thought to arise from higher cognitive processes and come after the
primary emotion. Secondary emotions often mask more primary emotions underneath them.
Hopelessness is a common secondary emotion masking other feelings.

Secondary emotions tend to occur because we have judgments or beliefs about certain
emotions. Someone may have grown up in a household where they were criticized for getting
upset and showing raw emotions.

Likewise, they may not have learned healthy ways to express their anger and may have
witnessed their parents displaying anger in unhealthy ways, such as acting passive-aggressive
or jealous.

Anger is one of the most common secondary emotions (Anger is a primary emotion too).
Because people have been taught that it’s not ok to cry, be sad, or be vulnerable, anger is the
most convenient emotion to cover up those feelings. What looks like anger on the surface is
often a protective cover for feelings like: hurt, fear, embarrassment, worry, or sadness.

THEORIES OF EMOTION (Refer to PPT)

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

1. “Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those
of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in
our relationships” (Goleman, 1998).

2. “Being able to monitor and regulate one’s own and others’ feelings, and to use feelings
to guide thought and action” (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

COMPONENTS
1. Self-awareness- Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own
emotions, a critical emotional intelligence skill. Beyond the recognition of your emotions,
it also includes being aware of the effect of your actions, moods, and emotions on
others.

2. Self- regulation- In addition to being aware of your own emotions and the impact you
have on others, emotional intelligence requires you to regulate and manage your
emotions.
This emotional intelligence skill doesn't mean putting emotions on lockdown and hiding
your true feelings—it simply means waiting for the right time and place to express them.
Self-regulation is all about expressing your emotions appropriately.
Those who are skilled in self-regulation tend to be flexible and adapt well to change.
They are also good at managing conflict and diffusing tense or difficult situations.
3. Motivation- Motivation is the process that stimulates and directs someone toward
achieving their goals. Motivation, when considered as a component of EI, refers to
intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation means that an individual is driven to meet personal needs and goals,
rather than being motivated by external rewards such as money, fame, and recognition.

It is a key part of EI. Motivation allows a person to remain true to their goals and
persevere, even during challenging times.
A person with low motivation may be discouraged easily by any obstacle and give up. A
person with high motivation realizes that the reward of their personal goals is worth the
time and effort spent getting there, even when they face obstacles.

People who are intrinsically motivated also experience a state of ‘flow’, by being
immersed in an activity.

They are more likely to be action-oriented, and set goals. Such individuals typically have
a need for achievement and search for ways to improve. They are also more likely to be
committed and take initiative.

4. Empathy- Empathy refers to how tuned to the emotions of others a person is. Someone
with high EI can accurately identify which emotions another person is feeling.This
component of EI enables an individual to respond appropriately to other people based
on recognizing their emotions.

5. Social skills- This component of EI refers to interacting well with other people. It
involves applying an understanding of the emotions of ourselves and others to
communicate and interact with others on a day-to-day basis.

Different social skills include – active listening, verbal communication skills, non-verbal
communication skills, leadership, and developing rapport.

Applications of emotional Intelligence

1. Leadership- They receive ositive appraisal, can manage their own emotions in
stressful situations.
2. Better academic and workplace performance- Interpersonal relationship with
peers, performance ratings, high levels of motivation.
3. Interpersonal relationships- Communication skills, conflict resolution.
4. Health- Regulate emotions/coping, lower levels of anxiety and depression.
5. Negotiation skills- Take others’ perspective.