7/24/2015

Emotional Intelligence

Individual Differences in Emotion

People vary widely, from childhood on,

in their experience of emotions

Ability to perceive, understand, use, and

manage emotion (our own and others)

Empathy

Intensity of emotional states

Recognizing and naming emotional states

Ability

to accurately understand anothers

perspective from the inside
Know how someone feels, thinks
Put yourself in anothers place

Learned,

largely through interactions with

caregivers

Social awareness
Recognition

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to perceive, understand, use, and

manage emotion (our own and others)

Self-awareness

Emotion regulation

Conflict management

Capacity
Ability

Emotional Intelligence

for self-reflection, self-understanding

From

to maintain emotional control

each other
bodily states

Difficulty describing feelings to others

Lack of imagination, intuition, empathy

Going

beyond ok, happy / unhappy

Negative

effect on relationship functioning and

satisfaction

Emotions and Gender

Similar emotions are expressed differently
Women report more intense / frequent
emotions

Difficulty identifying or distinguishing

feelings
From

to resolve interpersonal conflicts by

understanding others views, finding mutuallyacceptable solutions

Alexithymia

Ability

of social cues and expectations

Reading the Mind in the Eyes

Alarmed, Ashamed, Serious, Bewildered?

Joy and sorrow

Respond with greater physiological reactions
Anger is the exception

Women better at

reading others emotions

describing emotions verbally

7/24/2015

Social Psychology and

Personality Psychology

Situationism

Personality

Behavior and attitudes are caused by the

social environment
setting, social expectations, social
rewards and punishments

Social

Dispositionism

Enduring characteristics that influence

our behavior across many situations

Sources of individual differences

personality traits, motivations

Dispositional Approach
Personality can be described by
identifying fundamental traits

Stable, measurable characteristics that

account for how people think, feel, and act
Describe

how individuals differ from each other

Predict differences in behavior

Biological Approach

Personality is genetically influenced

Focuses on identifying the traits that matter

are assumed to have biological
foundations

Dispositional Approach
How to determine which of thousands of
terms name fundamental traits?

technique that analyzes the

correlations among responses on personality
inventories
Allows reduction of a large diversity of
personality traits into a small number of basic
factors

Underlying biological processes influence

personality

Dispositional Approach

Five-factor Theory
Traits that have surfaced repeatedly in
factor analysis of personality measures

Factor Analysis
Statistical

Human behavioral tendencies arise from

evolutionary processes

Human behavior is the product of a

complex biological system with
numerous subsystems

Traits

What makes a person unique?

Behavior and attitudes are caused by

internal factors of the individual
Genotype,

Psychological qualities and processes

Bring continuity to an individuals behavior

Extraversion (sociability / dominance)

Active/Sociable/Assertive/Bold/Energetic vs.
Detached/Deliberate/Quiet/Low-key
Neuroticism (negative emotionality)
Moody/Worrying/Anxious/Emotional/Sensitive
vs. Calm/Stable/Self-controlled/Hardy

7/24/2015

Dispositional Approach

Five-factor Theory

Conscientiousness (impulse control)

Careful/Responsible/Hardworking/Disciplined
vs. Irresponsible/Disorganized/Spontaneous
Agreeableness (social harmony)
Trusting/Generous/Soft-hearted/Good-natured
vs. Cold/Suspicious/Antagonistic/Ruthless
Openness to Experience (novelty)
Creative/Imaginative/Curious/Unconventional
vs. Conventional/Traditional/Down-toearth/Straightforward

Dispositional Approach
Big 5 predict behavior differences

Extraversion

Neuroticism

Social

Poor

marital functioning, academic

underachievement

Conscientiousness

High

achieving, risk avoidant, more healthy

behavior

Dispositional Approach

Big 5 predict behavior differences

Dispositional Approach

Agreeableness
social support, empathy, low anger and
aggression

Openness to Experience
Artistic

Big 5 show cross-cultural generalizability

Found in many cultures
Some cultures may have additional factors

More

Stable over the lifespan

Openness, extraversion, and neuroticism
decline with age
Agreeableness and conscientiousness
increase until age 70, then decline

expression, sexual satisfaction

Dispositional Approach

Provides description but not explanation

What are the sources?
How do they interact?

Biological Approach

Biological basis of personality dimensions

(Hans Eysenck)

Basic tendencies vs. characteristic

adaptations

Different ways of expressing personality

traits
Extraverts

Prosocial

(firefighting) vs. Antisocial (crime)

prominence, valuing status and power

Extraversion vs. Introversion

Low

cortical arousal vs. High cortical arousal

vs. Withdraw from stimulation

Seek

Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability

High

limbic system sensitivity (?)

reactivity

Emotionally

7/24/2015

Biological Approach

Approach and Avoidance Tendencies

Biological Approach

Sensation Seeking

Behavioral Approach System (BAS)

Tendency

to move toward incentives

(reward-seeking)
Go

Risk-taking

system

Impulsiveness

Disinhibition

Tendency

to withdraw from risks and threats

(punishment-avoidance)

and pleasure/reward circuits

Biological Approach

Sensation Seeking

I like to have new and exciting experiences and

sensations even if they are a little frightening.
I sometimes do "crazy" things just for fun.
I enjoy getting into new situations where you can't predict
how things will turn out.
I'll try anything once.
I prefer friends who are excitingly unpredictable.
I very seldom spend much time on the details of planning
ahead.
I usually think about what I am going to do before doing it.
I often do things on impulse.
I tend to change interests frequently.

Biological Approach

Associated with form of gene for less

efficient dopamine reception
Dopamine

or reverse system

Biological Approach

behavior

Thrill-seeking

Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)

Stop

Tendency to seek out new, varied, intense,

and exciting experiences

Sensation Seeking

Responsiveness to the environment

High

SS do well in high stimulation conditions

May be antisocial, manic, or bored in low
stimulation conditions
Low SS overwhelmed under high stimulation
Comfortable in low stimulation conditions

Biological Approach

Sensation Seeking
More high-risk sports
Drive faster
More likely to use drugs and increase
alcohol use over time
More risky antisocial behavior
More sexually experienced and responsive
More dissatisfied with relationships

7/24/2015

Biological Approach

Development of Personality

Shared environment and personality

How much does growing up in the same

family influence siblings personality to turn
out similarly?
Identical

twins reared apart are as similar as

identical twins raised together
Adoptive siblings have minimal similarity

Not very much

Similarities

of personality among siblings is

mostly a result of shared genes

Biological Approach

Nonshared environment and personality

Biological Approach

Experiences that make children in the same

family less like each other are influential on
personality

Determining the genetic influence on

personality

Twin Studies
Estimate

that personality characteristics are 4060% heritable

Birth

order
Peer and school experiences
Changes in parenting styles

Quantitative Trait Loci approach

Identifying

genetic markers for specific

personality characteristics

Longitudinal studies
Assess

individuals from infancy into adulthood

to identify maturational personality patterns

Biological Approach

Temperament

Inherited pattern of personality that

appears early in development and remains
stable throughout life

Biological Approach

Temperament styles in infancy as

described by mothers (Thomas & Chess)

Easy (40%)
adaptable,

Difficult (10%)
irritable,

relaxed, regular, active

irregular, reactive, easily frustrated

Slow-to-warm-up (15%)
low

reactivity, withdraw from stimulation, adjust

gradually

7/24/2015

Biological Approach

Longitudinal studies of temperament

Biological Approach

Differences in infant temperament (4 mos.)

Longitudinal studies of temperament

Inhibited

infants (10%)
React to unfamiliar persons or events with
restraint, avoidance, distress
Uninhibited infants (20%)
React to unfamiliar persons or events with
relaxation and spontaneity
Middling infants (70%)

Fearful

at 14-21 months
risk for anxiety in childhood
Non-assertive, avoidant, low social support in
late adolescence / early adulthood
At

Attachment Approach

Biological Approach

Longitudinal studies of temperament

Uninhibited

Konrad Lorenz: Imprinting

follow around any

large moving object during the
hours immediately after
hatching
Evolutionary adaptation
Those that stay close to
mothers protection more
likely to survive

at 14-21 months
risk for impulsivity in childhood
Thrill-seeking, impulsive, aggressive in late
adolescence / early adulthood
At

Human Attachment
John Bowlby

Clinging,

smiling, crying keep mother close

Secure Base
Attachment

figure becomes base for exploration

Separation Anxiety
Protest,

Styles of Attachment

Proximity and Survival

Despair, Detachment

Proximity and Survival

Goslings

Fearless

Inhibited

Mary Ainsworth

Strange Situation
Stranger

anxiety
develops at
around age 6-8
months and
disappears after
age 15 months (in
all cultures)
Could this be
used to evaluate
attachment?

7/24/2015

Styles of Attachment

Secure (~60%)

Styles of Attachment

Upset when mother leaves

Happy and calms quickly upon reunion and
returns to play

Insecure Avoidant (15%-20%)

Insecure Anxious-ambivalent / Resistant

(15%)
Panics when mother leaves
Angry and comfort-seeking upon reunion

Disorganized (5%)
Inconsistent (avoidant, anxious) when
mother leaves
Stereotyped, dazed, confused upon reunion

Indifferent or unhappy when mother leaves

Indifferent, sullen, or distancing upon
reunion

Styles of Attachment

What influences attachment styles?

Styles of Attachment

Behavior of the primary attachment figure

Attachment styles in early childhood

Secure
Enthusiastic, persistent, self-reliant, good
peer relations
Insecure
Unenthusiastic, easily frustrated, trouble
in peer relations

Secure:

synchronous (available, sensitive,

responsive, reliable)
Avoidant: minimally responsive, emphasizes
independence
Anxious-ambivalent / Resistant: inconsistent
responsiveness
Disorganized: intrusiveness and withdrawal,
frightened/frightening, abusive

Styles of Attachment

Styles of Attachment

Impact of attachment styles in adulthood

Stability

Moderate stability across time

Some

How parents, childhood are remembered

Romantic relationships
Attachment of ones children

show patterns of change over time

Insecure
Influence

with periods of security?

of secondary attachment figures

Specificity

Adults can demonstrate different patterns in

different relationship contexts
Close

friends, groups vs. romantic partners

7/24/2015

Stress

Stressors as Stimuli

Tension, discomfort, or physical

symptoms that arise when a stressor
strains our ability to effectively meet the
demands of the situation

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

(SRRS) (Holmes & Rahe, 1967)

Stimulus, event, or situation that requires

adaptation or adjustment

43 life events ranked as stressors

Each life event weighted for the amount
of stress it causes

Stressors

as Stimuli
as a Response
Stress as a Transaction
Stress

Stressors as Stimuli

Stressors as Stimuli

SRRS

Total weight of
stressful events
in the previous
year associated
with risk of
illness (physical
and mental)

Stress as a Response

Stress as a Response

Psychological, physical, and behavioral

reactions to stressful circumstances

Stress-related feelings
Depression,

fatigue, hostility/irritability

Physiological (endocrine system) reactions

Hans Selye (1956)

General Adaptation Syndrome

All prolonged stressors take us through 3 stages
of adaptation
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

7/24/2015

The Endocrine System

General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm

HPA Axis
Hypothalamus

stimulates pituitary
releases ACTH
Adrenal cortex triggered
to release cortisol
Energy release
Immune response
increased
Pituitary

General Adaptation Syndrome

General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm

Adrenal Medullary
System
stimulates
sympathetic neurons
Adrenal gland triggered
to release norepinephrine
Sympathetic NS arousal
Heart rate, blood
pressure, respiration

Resistance

Hypothalamus

Bodys defense against invading bacteria,

viruses, and other potentially illnessproducing organisms and substances
Psychoneuroimmunology
Study of the relationship between the immune
system and the central nervous system
Stress and immunosupression (via cortisol)

Colds
Healing

of wounds

Reduction in sympathetic arousal

Continuing HPA axis activity
Immune response is reduced

Exhaustion

Breakdown in coping capacity

Energy stores depleted

Rise in BP, immune system suppression,
weakened muscles, hypothalamus damage

Stress, Health, & Personality

Immune System

Adaptation to and coping with stressor

Many medical conditions are caused or

worsened by psychological factors

Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel)

Disease
Personality

traits
A personality
Impatience, competitiveness, hostility in
response to challenging situations
Type B personality
Relaxed, unstressed approach to life
Anger / hostility increases heart disease risk
Type

7/24/2015

Stress as Transaction

What makes an event stressful?

Stress as Transaction

Threatening or challenging
Unpredictable

Lazarus & Folkman: Stress is a product of

the interaction between person and event

Evaluation of the event

Primary

appraisal
the event potentially or actually harmful?
Secondary appraisal
What resources do I have to cope with it?

Rats

given shocks without warning develop

more ulcers than rats warned before shocks
Humans warned of stress beforehand have a
chance to prepare

Is

A sense of control reduces the stressfulness

of challenges and threats

Stress level varies with adequacy of

available coping strategies

Coping with Stress

Individual coping strategies

Coping with Stress

Tend and Befriend

Problem-focused coping
Trying

to improve the situation by eliminating

or modifying the stressor

Nurturing

and protecting offspring and seeking

social support

Emotion-focused coping
Trying

Social relations with people, groups, and

the larger community
Emotional disclosure
Practical assistance
Information to make decisions, solve
problems, and contend with stressful
situations

Gendered alternative to fight or flight

Associated

with secretion of hormone oxytocin

under stress
Feelings of trust, calm; increased empathy
Inhibits cortisol release

to manage and reduce painful emotions

Social Support

Women are (biologically?) predisposed to

respond to stress with an affiliative response

Social Support
Social relations with people, groups, and
the larger community
Associated with

Improved immune response, quicker

recovery, lower mortality from physical
illness
Lower rates of depression, enhanced selfesteem

10

7/24/2015

Influences on Stress Response

Hardiness / Resilience

People are more resistant to stress who

committed to their life and work
view change as a challenge rather than a
threat
believe they can control events

Influences on Stress Response

are

People who are more positively biased

toward themselves hold up better under
stress

Rumination
Focusing on how bad we feel and endlessly
analyzing the causes and consequences of
problems
Associated with higher risk of depression

Optimism

Self-enhancement

Lower mortality, greater immune response,

better surgical outcomes

Influences on Stress Response

Spirituality and religion

Finding meaning in lifes difficulties?

More

Grief
Emotions
Cognitions
Behaviors

positive emotions

Stronger social support?

Lower mortality, improved immune function,
lower blood pressure, superior recovery
from illness

Complex reaction to bereavement (the

loss of a loved one)

Separation response

5 Stages Model (Kubler-Ross)

Aided by culturally provided rites and rituals

Models of Grief

Models of Grief

Attachment figure

Stressor
Natural healing process

Stroebe & Schut: Dual Process Model

Bereavement brings two types of challenges

Loss-oriented

Feelings,

memories

Restoration-oriented

Revised

Response to learning one has a terminal illness

goals, roles

Coping with bereavement involves going

back and forth between loss-oriented and
restoration-oriented activity
Accepting

the death and going on with life

11

7/24/2015

Acute Grief

Acute Grief

First Hours, Days, Weeks, or Months

First Hours, Days, Weeks, or Months

The death is hard to accept

Usually not denial
A sense of disbelief

A mix of emotions
Painful emotions (sadness, anger, guilt,
anxiety) dominant, often coming in waves
Positive emotions (happy memories, warm
feelings, amusing stories) also present

Yearning, longing, and loneliness

Natural reactions to separation

Preoccupation with thoughts and

memories of the deceased
Disinterest in the rest of the world

Loss-oriented focus predominates

Later Grief

Later Grief

Moving into the Background

Acceptance of the reality of the death

A mix of emotions

Painful emotions less frequent and intense

Positive emotions (warmth, pride,
amusement) dominant

Over time, the death can be accepted

The pain becomes less intense

More pain More effective grief

No intentional grief work is required

Thoughts and memories of the deceased

are accessible, not intrusive
Interest in the world returns

Restoration-oriented focus predominates

Later Grief

Grief may become a permanent,

evolving, background state

May never be completed

But not the primary psychological focus

Life goes on

A sense of connection / closeness with

the deceased continues

Investment in important people and

meaningful activities

Complicated (Prolonged) Grief

Grief remains acute (> 6 months)

Persistent sense of shock

Yearning, longing
Preoccupation, reveries
Avoidance of reminders of the death
Anger about the death
Feelings of estrangement from others
Guilt

Not

doing enough while the deceased was

alive, not preventing the death, survivor guilt

Difficult times still occur

Temporary return of aspects of early grief

Not letting go of the person who died,

but a continuing bond

Lack of pleasure or engagement in life

12

7/24/2015

Trauma & Stress-Related Disorders

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Trauma & Stress-Related Disorders

Traumatic Stressor
Catastrophic

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Intrusive

memories, dreams, flashbacks

of situations or objects that might
trigger recollection of the event
Cognitive symptoms (e.g., distorted blame)
Arousal and reactivity
Difficulty sleeping
Startling easily
Irritability, anger
Difficulty concentrating
Reckless or destructive behavior

or horrifying event

Avoidance

War,

attempted murder, rape, natural disasters,

death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse

Directly

experienced it, witnessed it, learned of

it happening to a loved one, or repeatedly been
exposed to or reminded of the details of it
Typically, feelings of intense fear, horror, or
helplessness

Psychological Disorders

What defines a psychological disorder?

Patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving

Diagnosis of Disorders

Uncommon

/ deviant (abnormal)
social norms (unconventional)
Irrational (incomprehensible)
Biological dysfunction (organic)
Subjective distress (suffering)
Impairment or disability (maladaptive)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders (DSM-5, 2013)

Violates

Advantages
Diagnosis clarifies prognosis and guides
treatment decisions
Enables professionals to communicate with
each other
Replaces moral judgment with medical view
May reduce self-blame

American Psychiatric Association (APA)

criteria for mental disorders
Lists

of symptoms and decision rules on how

many symptoms must be present for a diagnosis
Criteria of impairment / distress and duration for
a disorder to be present

Medical Model of Disorders

At least 1 month after the event

Medical Model of Disorders

Disadvantages
Diagnosis blurs individual differences
Labels can stick and stigmatize

On

being sane in insane places (Rosenhan,

1973)
Once a label is attached to someone, others
may see only the label

Can

reflect cultural biases

13

7/24/2015

Prevalence of
Psychological Disorders

Disorders Across Time & Culture

Some disorders appear to be universal

Some disorders are culture-specific

What is considered a disorder within a

culture can change

Schizophrenia, psychopathy
Bulimia nervosa (America / Europe)

Prophets and Patriarchs

Homosexuality, Masturbation
Female ambition

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety

Excessive worry, anxiety for 6+ months

Spend

on average 60% of each day worrying,

compared with 18% for the general population

tense, anxious

Thoughts
Worry,

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Feeling
Nervous,

Anxiety Disorders

Physical, cognitive, emotional symptoms

Restlessness,

muscle tension, sleep

disturbance
Trouble concentrating
Irritability

intrusions

Bodily reactions
Stress/Arousal

Anxiety Disorders

Panic disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Repeated and unexpected panic attacks

escalation of anxiety into terror
Physical symptoms
Sympathetic arousal and hyperventilation
(heart racing, shortness of breath, chest
pressure, choking)
Catastrophic thoughts (dying, heart attack)

Panic disorder

Rapid

Change in behavior to prevent panic

attacks
Worry,

Avoidance

Agoraphobia

Fear of being in a place or situation from

which escape is difficult or embarrassing, or
help is unavailable

14

7/24/2015

Anxiety Disorders

Social Anxiety Disorder

Causal Factors in Anxiety Disorders

Biological vulnerability (predisposition) plus

life events and stressors that trigger this
vulnerability
Biopsychosocial explanation of disorders

Marked fear of public appearances in

which embarrassment or humiliation is
possible

Public

speaking, eating, performing, or

everyday social interactions

Anticipation of negative evaluation

Causal Factors in Anxiety Disorders

Personality factors

Diathesis-stress model

Causal Factors in Anxiety Disorders

Neuroticism (5 Factor Theory)

GAD associated with negative emotionality

Life event factors

Biological Factors

Adverse

Childhood Events (ACE) study

intimate partner violence, drug
addiction, criminal behavior in the household

Neurotransmitter effects

Abuse,

GABA

receptor deficiency and excess limbic

(fear) activation

Exposure to childhood violence / deprivation

dramatically increases the risk of developing
an anxiety disorder

Evidence of genetic heritability

Reflected in brain development before age 4

30-40%

Causal Factors in Anxiety Disorders

Learning theory factors

Classical conditioning (Little Albert)
Operant conditioning
(reinforcement/punishment)
Social / Observational learning

Causal Factors in Anxiety Disorders

Cognitive factors
Catastrophizing
Anticipating terrible events despite low
probability
Anxiety sensitivity (fear of fear)
Misinterpretation of minor physical
symptoms as dangerous

15

7/24/2015

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Symptoms of OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Repeated, lengthy (>1 hour/day)

obsessions, compulsions, or both
Obsessions

Symptoms of OCD
Repeated, lengthy (>1 hour/day)
obsessions, compulsions, or both
Compulsions

Persistent

intrusive thoughts, images, or

impulses that are unwanted and inappropriate,
and cause marked distress (e.g.,
contamination, aggression)
May or may not recognize that fears are
unrealistic, excessive
Person attempts to neutralize or suppress them

Repetitive

behaviors or mental acts performed

in response to obsessions, to reduce or prevent
anxiety
Unrealistic (e.g., checking, counting, mental
rituals)
May or may not recognize this

Depressive Disorders

Causal Factors in OCD

Biological Factors

Evidence of genetic heritability

OCD

and the caudate nucleus and limbic

system worry circuit

Neurotransmitter effects
Serotonin,

others implicated but causal influence

is not well understood

Streptococcal infections (PANDAS)

Autoimmune

reaction?

Major Depressive Disorder

Sad / low mood or diminished interest in
pleasurable activities for at least 2 weeks
At least 4 of the following

Weight

or appetite loss or gain

or excessive sleep
Agitation or psychomotor retardation
Fatigue / low energy
Lack of concentration or decisiveness
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
Thoughts of death / suicide
Insomnia

Depressive Disorders

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Depressed (sad / low) mood lasting at least 2

years, never absent for as much as 2 months
At least 2 of the following
Appetite loss / gain
Insomnia or excessive sleep
Fatigue / low energy
Poor concentration or difficulty with decisions
Low self-esteem
Feelings of hopelessness

16