What are emotions?
Emotions are feelings that help us understand what is happening around us.
They help us:
- Stay safe.
- Build relationships.
- Make decisions.
- Communicate with other people.
Examples of emotions include:
- 😊 Happiness
- 😢 Sadness
- 😨 Fear
- 😠 Anger
- 😲 Surprise
- 🤢 Disgust
Three Parts of Emotion
Psychologists say emotions have three parts.
🧠 Thoughts (Cognitive)
What we think about a situation.
Example:
"I might be in danger."
❤️ Body Changes (Physiological)
Our body reacts automatically.
Examples:
- Heart beats faster.
- Sweaty hands.
- Faster breathing.
- Butterflies in the stomach.
😊 Behaviour (Behavioural)
How we show our emotions.
Examples:
- Smiling.
- Crying.
- Running away.
- Laughing.
- Frowning.
Theories of Emotion
Psychologists have different ideas about how emotions happen.
James-Lange Theory
Body first, emotion second.
Example:
You see a snake.
Your heart races.
Then your brain says,
"I feel afraid."
Cannon-Bard Theory
The body and emotion happen at the same time.
You see the snake.
At the same moment:
- You feel afraid.
- Your heart races.
Schachter-Singer Theory
Body first, then thinking.
Your heart races.
You look around.
You realise there is a snake.
Then you decide,
"I'm frightened."
The situation helps you understand your body's reaction.
Cognitive-Mediational Theory
Thinking comes first.
You first decide whether something is dangerous.
That thought creates the emotion.
Example:
If you realise the snake is actually behind glass in a zoo, you may feel interested instead of frightened.
The Emotional Brain
Several parts of the brain work together.
Amygdala
The amygdala helps detect emotions.
Especially:
- Fear
- Anger
- Threat
It helps us react quickly to danger.
Hippocampus
The hippocampus stores memories.
It helps us remember:
- What happened.
- How we felt.
For example:
You may remember feeling excited on your first day at college or nervous before giving a presentation.
Prefrontal Cortex
This part helps us:
- Think logically.
- Control emotions.
- Make sensible decisions.
It can help us pause before acting.
Facial Expressions
Many emotions can be recognised across different cultures.
Examples:
😊 Happy
😢 Sad
😠 Angry
😨 Fearful
😲 Surprised
🤢 Disgusted
However, culture, personality, and individual differences can influence how people express emotions. For example, some people naturally show emotions openly, while others are more reserved.
Linking This to Disability
This is where I think your book can add something valuable.
Some disabilities or conditions may affect how emotions are expressed, but not whether someone has emotions.
For example:
- An autistic person may express emotions differently or find it harder to read facial expressions, but they still experience emotions.
- Someone with a learning disability may need support to explain how they are feeling.
- A person with dementia may struggle to find the right words but can still experience joy, fear, sadness, or comfort.
That's an important message because people sometimes mistakenly think that if someone doesn't express emotions in a typical way, they don't have those emotions. In reality, they may simply communicate them differently.
A Point from Your Own Experience
Something you've shared before also connects with this chapter. You described how, as a child, being punished at school and being bullied made learning feel frightening rather than enjoyable.
Psychology helps explain why.
When we repeatedly experience fear, embarrassment, or anxiety in a particular situation, our brain begins to associate those emotions with that situation. Later, simply entering a classroom or struggling with a task can bring back those emotional memories, even if the current teacher is kind and supportive.
That doesn't mean the person doesn't want to learn—it means emotions and memories can influence learning.
I think that's one of the most interesting ideas in psychology: our thoughts, emotions, memories, and behaviour are all connected. Understanding those connections helps us understand not only ourselves but also why different people respond differently to the same situation.
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