Posted: August 1st, 2023

The theories of emotion are theories that discuss

For this Assignment, you will write a 2-3 page expository paper analyzing theories of emotion and the role of the limbic system and frontal lobe in the processing of emotion.

Utilize the following scenario in the construction of your paper:

John is a 42-year-old construction worker who was leaving the construction site to take his lunch break. While walking from the site, he heard a loud crashing sound. John turned around to see a crane tip over and fall to the ground. Initially, John experienced feelings of terror at the sight of the crane falling and fear that someone would be hurt. However, as the crane landed, he was able to see that it fell on an unoccupied plot of land.

Include the following in your paper:

Examine the three theories of emotion in the context of the scenario.
Analyze the different features of the three theories of emotion with respect to the cognitive and neuropsychological processes involved in John’s processing of the events.
Differentiate the three theories of emotion and how processing of the events would be different under each theory.
State which theory of emotion you feel is the most accurate and why.
Break down the neuropsychological processing of emotion with respect to the functioning of the limbic system (hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus), and the frontal lobe.
Analyze how the different parts of the brain are involved in the processing of emotion as well as the flow of information within the limbic system and frontal lobe.
The Assignment should:

Utilize a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources outside your textbook and assigned readings to support your paper.

analyzing theories of emotion and the role of the limbic system and frontal lobe in the processing of emotion.
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Introduction
The theories of emotion are theories that discuss how the brains process information to emotions. The brain is highly significant in processing emotions, with the limbic system being involved in the information and emotion processing. This paper discusses how the cognitive appraisal, Schachter and singer’s two-factor theory, and the cannon theory relate to John’s experience at the construction site. It also discusses the neurophysiological process and the most appropriate theory in the case scenario.
Cognitive appraisal
According to psychologist Richard Lazarus, people’s emotional experience depends on how they assess or evaluate the events around them. An individual’s emotions are accompanied by activation on the brain’s nervous system and the autonomic system.
In the brain, the limbic system is involved in emotion. The amygdala of the limbic system serves a very significant role in regulating emotion. According to researchers, sensory information concerning emotion-evoking moments moves along two brain pathways. Information moves to the thalamus, then to the amygdala, and then to the brain cortex (Omdahl, 2014). Information is quickly processed in the amygdala, and signals are sent to the hypothalamus and activate the autonomic nervous system. The cortex performs slow processing of information, which allows appraisal or evaluation of the event.
John’s main fear was what the crane would meet on the ground, such as people, and injure them, but it landed on a clear ground. John’s emotions highly depended on his assessment of the matter around him. The matter around him was the lowering crane, which brought out his emotions and feelings of fear and terror that it could hurt people. Concerning this theory, emotional experiences people have depended on evaluating events around them, like John had evaluated the lowering crane as something that would hurt someone.
This theory is the most accurate due to the assessments the brain performs on an event. The emotional experience of an individual depends on how they evaluate events around them. The limbic system is highly involved in the processing of emotions and the movement of information. The slow processing of the information allows appraisal and evaluation of the event, such as in John’s situation.
Schacher and Singer’s Two-factor theory
According to Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer, people’s emotional experiences depend on physiological arousal and cognitive arousal interpretation. Whenever an individual gets physiological arousal, they seek an environmental explanation for the arousal. If a person decides to label an emotion, the label relates to what they find in their environment (Leventhal, 1982). This theory agrees that people infer emotions whenever they get physiological arousal. The theory also agrees with the notion that similar physiological arousal can result in different emotions.
When the crane was coming down at the construction sites, John’s presence resulted in the arousal he received to be named as fear. His emotions resulted from physiological arousal and the thought in his head of what could have happened if the crane had landed on someone instead of the ground. The emotion of fear he acquired was a result of the construction site and the crane movement.
The Cannon-Bard theory
The cannon theory of emotion is also known as the thalamic theory of emotion. Walter Cannon and Philip Bard developed this theory. According to the theory, one feels emotions and experience physiological reactions like trembling, sweating, and simultaneous muscle tension. Emotions occur whenever the thalamus relays a message to the brain to respond to the stimulus that results in a physiological action (Dror, 2014). Our bodies react to a stimulus and experience related emotions at the same time. Physical reactions and emotional reactions are independent of each other. In the occurrence of an event, the thalamus relays a signal to the amygdala.
The amygdala participates in processing emotions such as anger and fear. The thalamus relays the signal to the autonomic nervous system, resulting in physical reactions like sharing, muscle tension, and sweating. The theory can be applied in viewing any experience where you have an emotional reaction (Dror, 2014). One might immediately be thinking to think of a negative emotional response but also a positive one. Concerning John’s experience, he experienced terror and got terrified at the crane’s sight in fear that someone would get hurt. The emotions processed by the amygdala were relayed to the autonomic nervous system. John’s body reacted to the stimulus, which was the crane movement that brought fear, resulting in terrifying. The physiological action in this scenario was terror. Through the information relayed by the thalamus to the nervous system resulted in a physical reaction.
Neurophysiological processing of emotions
The limbic system is a part of the brain that is involved with emotions. It has different parts such as the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal lobe. The amygdala is significant in regulating emotions. Information moves to the thalamus first, then to the amygdala, and then to the brain cortex (Omdahl, 2014). The amygdala processes information which it sends to the hypothalamus then activation of the autonomous nerve system. Emotions occur when the thalamus sends a message to the brain.
References
Omdahl, B. L. (2014). Cognitive appraisal, emotion, and empathy. Psychology Press.
Leventhal, H. (1982). A perceptual-motor theory of emotion. Social Science Information, 21(6), 819-845.
Dror, O. E. (2014). The Cannon-Bard thalamic theory of emotions: A brief genealogy and reappraisal. Emotion Review, 6(1), 13-20.

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