Depending on the depth, intensity, duration and degree of differentiation, the following types of emotional states can be distinguished: sensual tone, actual emotions, affect, passion, mood.

1. Sensual or emotional tone- This simplest form emotions, an elementary manifestation of organic sensitivity that accompanies certain vital influences and encourages the subject to eliminate or preserve them. A sensual tone is recognized as an emotional coloring.

2. Actually emotions- mental reflection in the form of direct biased experience of the life meaning of phenomena and situations, conditioned by the relationship of their objective properties to the needs of the subject. Emotions arise when there is excessive motivation in relation to the real adaptive capabilities of the individual.

It is traditional to divide emotions into positive and negative. A popular classification of emotions in relation to activity and, accordingly, their division into sthenic(prompting to action, causing tension) and asthenic(inhibiting action, depressing). Classifications of emotions are also known: by origin from need groups - biological, social and ideal emotions; by the nature of the actions, on which the likelihood of satisfying a need depends - contact and distance.

3. Affect- a rapidly and violently occurring emotional process of an explosive nature, which can provide a release in action that is not subject to conscious volitional control. The main thing in affect is an unexpected shock, sharply experienced by a person, characterized by a change in consciousness, a violation of volitional control over actions. Affect has a disorganizing effect on activity, consistency and quality of performance, with maximum disintegration - stupor or chaotic, unfocused motor reactions. There are normal and pathological affects. The main signs of pathological affect: altered consciousness (disorientation in time and space); inadequacy of the intensity of the response to the intensity of the stimulus that caused the reaction; the presence of post-affective amnesia.

4. Passion- an intense, generalized and prolonged experience that dominates other human impulses and leads to concentration on the subject of passion. The reasons that cause passion can be different - ranging from bodily desires and
to conscious ideological convictions.

5. Mood- a relatively long-term, stable mental state of moderate or weak intensity. The reasons that cause mood are numerous - from organic well-being (vital tone) to the nuances of relationships
with others. Mood has a subjective orientation; in comparison with a sensual tone, it is recognized not as a property of an object, but as a property of the subject (for example, regarding a piece of music, emotional accompaniment in the form of a sensual background will sound like “beautiful music”, and in the form of a mood - “I have
great mood" (from music). Individual personality characteristics play a certain role (for example, hyperthymia - a tendency to high mood, dysthymia - a tendency to low mood).

With positive emotions, muscle innervation increases, small arteries dilate, and blood flow to the skin increases. She turns red and warms up. Accelerated blood circulation begins, which improves tissue nutrition. All physiological functions are performed better. A happy person is in a good mood and has optimal conditions for the functioning of the whole organism. Joy “colors a person” (T.N. Lange), makes him more beautiful, more confident, more cheerful.

In grief and sadness, muscle action is paralyzed. They become weaker. There is a feeling of fatigue and overstrain. A person becomes more sensitive to cold, feels a lack of air, sighs, “withdraws into himself,” and willingly remains in the same position. The person seems older.

The following basic emotional states can be distinguished ( according to K. Izard - "fundamental emotions"), each of which has its own range of psychological characteristics and external manifestations.

Interest(as an emotion) - a positive emotional state that promotes the development of skills and abilities, the acquisition of knowledge and motivating learning.

Joy- a positive emotional state associated with the ability to sufficiently fully satisfy an urgent need, the likelihood of which until this moment was small or, in any case, uncertain.

Astonishment - an emotional reaction to sudden circumstances that does not have a clearly defined positive or negative sign. Surprise inhibits all previous emotions, directing attention to the object that caused it, and can turn into interest.

Suffering - a negative emotional state associated with received reliable or apparent information about the impossibility of satisfying the most important needs of life, which until that moment seemed more or less probable, most often occurs in the form of emotional stress. Suffering has the character of an asthenic (weakening) emotion.

Anger - an emotional state, negative in sign, usually occurring in the form of affect and caused by the sudden emergence of a serious obstacle to the satisfaction of a need that is extremely important for the subject. Unlike suffering, anger is sthenic in nature (that is, it causes an increase, albeit short-term, in vitality).

Disgust- a negative emotional state caused by objects (objects, people, circumstances, etc.), contact with which (physical interaction, communication in communication, etc.) comes into sharp conflict with the ideological, moral or aesthetic principles and attitudes of the subject. Disgust, when combined with anger, can motivate aggressive behavior in interpersonal relationships, where attack is motivated by anger and disgust by the desire to “get rid of someone or something.”

Contempt - a negative emotional state that arises in interpersonal relationships and is generated by a mismatch in the life positions, views and behavior of the subject with the life positions, views and behavior of the object of feeling. The latter are presented to the subject as base, not corresponding to accepted moral standards and aesthetic criteria.

One of the consequences of contempt is depersonalization of the individual or group to which it belongs.

Fear - a negative emotional state that appears when the subject receives information about possible damage to his well-being in life, about a real or imagined danger that threatens him. In contrast to the emotion of suffering, caused by direct blocking of the most important needs, a person, experiencing the emotion of fear, has only a probabilistic forecast of possible trouble and acts on the basis of this (often insufficiently reliable or exaggerated) forecast. You can recall the popular saying: “Fear has big eyes.”

Shame- a negative state, expressed in the awareness of the inconsistency of one’s own thoughts, actions and appearance not only with the expectations of others, but also with one’s own ideas about appropriate behavior and appearance.

According to the tradition of Russian psychology, it is customary to distinguish feelings as a special subclass of emotional processes. A feeling is experienced and revealed in specific emotions. However, in contrast to the actual emotions and affects associated with specific situations, feelings highlight phenomena in the surrounding reality that have a stable need-motivational significance. The content of a person’s dominant feelings expresses his attitudes, ideals, interests, etc.

So, feelings - These are stable emotional relationships, acting as a kind of “attachment” to a certain range of phenomena of reality, as a persistent focus on them, as a certain “capture” by them. In the process of regulating behavior, feelings are assigned the role of leading emotional and semantic formations of the individual.

One of the human conditions is stress. Stress- a state of emotional and behavioral disorder that is associated with a person’s inability to act expediently in non-standard situations. It is a state of excessively strong and prolonged psychological stress that occurs in a person when his nervous system receives emotional overload (G. Selye, 1963).

Stress occurs in three phases:

Anxiety phase (feeling of danger, difficulty);

Resistance phase (when all the body’s defenses are mobilized);

The phase of exhaustion (when a person feels that his strength is running out).

Stress, if frequent and prolonged, has a negative impact not only on psychological condition, but also on a person’s physical health. Stress is compared to a serious illness. Frequent stressful situations “repress” a person’s emotional apparatus, and specific “diseases of social adaptation” develop. These include a number of so-called psychosomatic diseases - primarily hypertension, gastric ulcer, etc. Overexertion in one area and underutilization
in another they lead to distortions in the self-regulation system, which, in turn, leads to
diseases, early aging. “Stress is not what happened to you, but how you perceive it,” says Hans Selye - father of stress theory. Many people create their own stress by allowing their work to become extremely disorganized (and usually blaming others for it). They are constantly nervous, not finding the things they need, panic, suddenly remembering what they haven’t done, waste their energy, grasping at one thing or another, and are chronically late.

Prevention of stress among employees should take an important place in activities
manager at any level. Each of us has our own “first aid kit for the soul.” Experts believe that an effective anti-stress factor is a strong social environment. However, as a rule, when people find themselves in a difficult situation, they avoid those who can help them and withdraw, preferring to cope with difficulties themselves. Prevention of distress includes the ability to shift, stress, rest and physical exercise. The stress of dashed hope is worse than the stress of heavy muscular work. Positive communication with people we love and trust and who have a sense of empathy (emotional response to other people's experiences) is especially important.

In addition to all this, you need to learn to manage your emotions. After all, I am able
emotional excitement, a person sometimes loses his main property - to be
communication partner. It’s best to start with the little things: cultivate the ability to wait,
endurance and patience. It is also worth learning not to get into situations that make us angry, lead to irritation and rage.

Thus, improving the emotional sphere gives you the opportunity to better manage your behavior and effectively influence other people.

T. Holmes and R. Raz (T. Note, K. Kape, 1967) developed list of typical life situations that cause stress. The most stressful situation was the death of a spouse (100 points), but such obviously negative situations as imprisonment (63 points) and trauma (53 points) are followed by positive and even desirable situations, such as marriage (50 points) or birth of a child (40 points).

The most important factor prosperous overcoming stress is confidence is that the situation remains under control. In one experiment, two rats received painful electric shocks at the same time. One of them could not influence the situation in any way, while the other, by pulling the ring, “controlled” the painful effect. In fact, the strength and duration of the electric shock were identical for both participants in the experiment. However, the passive rat developed a stomach ulcer and decreased immunity, while the active rat remained resistant to the stressor. Similar data have been obtained for humans. For example, employees who were allowed to organize their office environment as they saw fit were less likely to be disrupted by distress than those who worked in a permanently created environment.

Psychology of emotional state

Introduction

1. Psychology of human emotional states

1.1. Types and role of emotions in human life

1.2. Psychological theories of emotion

1.3 Emotional states

Conclusion

Depending on the duration, intensity, objectivity or uncertainty, as well as the quality of emotions, all emotions can be divided into emotional reactions, emotional states and emotional relationships (V.N. Myasishchev).

Emotional reactions are characterized by a high rate of occurrence and transience. They last minutes, are characterized by a fairly pronounced quality (modality) and sign (positive or negative emotion), intensity and objectivity. The objectivity of an emotional reaction is understood as its more or less unambiguous connection with the event or object that caused it. An emotional reaction normally always arises about events that occurred in specific situation something or someone. This could be fear from a sudden noise or scream, joy from heard words or perceived facial expressions, anger due to an obstacle that has arisen or about someone’s action, etc. It should be remembered that these events are only a trigger for the emergence of emotion, and the cause is either the biological significance or the subjective meaning of this event for the subject. The intensity of emotional reactions can be different - from barely noticeable, even for the subject himself, to excessive - affect.

Emotional reactions are often reactions of frustration of some expressed needs. Frustration (from the Latin frustatio - deception, destruction of plans) in psychology is a mental state that arises in response to the appearance of an objectively or subjectively insurmountable obstacle to satisfying a need, achieving a goal or solving a problem. The type of frustration reaction depends on many circumstances, but is very often a personality characteristic this person. This could be anger, frustration, despair, or guilt.

Emotional states are characterized by: longer duration, which can be measured in hours and days; normally, lower intensity, since emotions are associated with significant energy expenditure due to the accompanying physiological reactions; in some cases, pointlessness, which is expressed in the fact that the subject may the reason and the reason that caused them are hidden, as well as some uncertainty of the modality of the emotional state. According to their modality, emotional states can appear in the form of irritability, anxiety, complacency, various shades of mood - from depressive states to euphoria. However, most often they are mixed conditions. Since emotional states are also emotions, they also reflect the relationship between the needs of the subject and the objective or subjective possibilities for their satisfaction, rooted in the situation.

In the absence of organic disorders of the central nervous system, the state of irritation is essentially a high readiness for anger reactions in a long-term situation of frustration. A person has outbursts of anger for the slightest and various reasons, but they are based on dissatisfaction with some personally significant need, which the subject himself may not be aware of.

A state of anxiety means the presence of some uncertainty about the outcome of future events related to the satisfaction of some need. Often the state of anxiety is associated with a sense of self-esteem (self-esteem), which may suffer if there is an unfavorable outcome of events in the expected future. The frequent occurrence of anxiety in everyday activities may indicate the presence of self-doubt as a personality, i.e. about unstable or low self-esteem inherent in a given person in general.

A person's mood often reflects the experience already achieved success or failure, or a high or low probability of success or failure in the near future. In bad or good mood reflects the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of some need in the past, success or failure in achieving a goal or solving a problem. It is no coincidence that a person in a bad mood is asked if something has happened. A long-term low or high mood (over two weeks), not typical for a given person, is a pathological sign in which an unsatisfied need is either truly absent or deeply hidden from the subject’s consciousness, and its detection requires special psychological analysis. A person most often experiences mixed states, for example, a depressed mood with a tinge of anxiety or joy with a tinge of anxiety or anger.

A person can also experience more complex conditions, an example of which is the so-called dysphoria - a pathological condition lasting two to three days, in which irritation, anxiety and bad mood are simultaneously present. Less severe dysphoria may occur in some people and is normal.

Emotional relationships are also called feelings. Feelings are stable emotional experiences associated with a specific object or category of objects that have special meaning for a person. Feelings in a broad sense can be associated with various objects or actions, for example, you may not like a given cat or cats in general, you may or may not like doing morning exercises, etc. Some authors suggest calling only stable emotional relationships towards people feelings. Feelings differ from emotional reactions and emotional states in duration - they can last for years, and sometimes for a lifetime, for example, feelings of love or hatred. Unlike states, feelings are objective - they are always associated with an object or an action with it.

Emotionality. Emotionality is understood as stable individual characteristics of the emotional sphere of a given person. V.D. Nebylitsyn proposed to take into account three components when describing emotionality: emotional impressionability, emotional lability and impulsiveness.

Emotional sensitivity is a person’s sensitivity to emotional situations, i.e. situations that can evoke emotions. Since different people Different needs dominate, each person has his own situations that can cause emotions. At the same time, there are certain characteristics of the situation that make them emotional for all people. These are: unusualness, novelty and suddenness (P. Fress). Unusuality differs from novelty in that there are types of stimuli that will always be new for the subject, because there are no “good answers” ​​for them, such as loud noise, loss of support, darkness, loneliness, images of the imagination, as well as combinations of the familiar and the unfamiliar. . There are individual differences in the degree of sensitivity to emotiogenic situations that are common to all, as well as in the number of individual emotional situations.

Emotional lability is characterized by the speed of transition from one emotional state to another. People differ from each other in how often and how quickly their state changes - in some people, for example, the mood is usually stable and depends little on minor current events, in others, with high emotional lability, it changes for the slightest reasons several times a day. day.

Impulsivity is determined by the speed with which emotion becomes the motivating force of actions and actions without prior thought. This personality quality is also called self-control. There are two different mechanisms of self-control - external control and internal. With external control, it is not the emotions themselves that are controlled, but only their external expression; emotions are present, but they are restrained; the person “pretends” that he does not experience emotions. Internal control is associated with such a hierarchical distribution of needs in which lower needs are subordinated to higher ones, therefore, being in such a subordinate position, they simply cannot cause uncontrollable emotions in appropriate situations. An example of internal control could be a person’s passion for something, when he does not notice hunger for a long time (“forgets” to eat) and therefore remains indifferent to the type of food.

In psychological literature, it is also common to divide the emotional states that a person experiences into actual emotions, feelings and affects.

Emotions and feelings - personal formations, socially and psychologically characterizing a person; associated with short-term and working memory.

Affect is a short-term, rapidly flowing state of strong emotional arousal, resulting from frustration or some other reason that has a strong effect on the psyche, usually associated with the dissatisfaction of very important needs for a person. Affect does not precede behavior, but forms it at one of its final stages. Unlike emotions and feelings, affects occur violently, quickly, and are accompanied by pronounced organic changes and motor reactions. Affects can leave strong and lasting traces in long-term memory. Emotional tension accumulated as a result of the occurrence of afetogenic situations can accumulate and sooner or later, if it is not given a way out in time, lead to a strong and violent emotional release, which, while relieving tension, often entails a feeling of fatigue, depression, depression.

One of the most common types of affects these days is stress - a state of mental (emotional) and behavioral disorder associated with a person’s inability to act expediently and wisely in the current situation. Stress is a state of excessively strong and prolonged psychological tension that occurs in a person when his nervous system receives emotional overload. Stresses are the main “risk factors” for the manifestation and exacerbation of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.

Thus, each of the described types of emotions has subtypes within itself, which in turn can be assessed by different parameters– intensity, duration, depth, awareness, origin, conditions of emergence and disappearance, impact on the body, dynamics of development, focus (on oneself, on others, on the world, on the past, present or future), according to the way they are expressed in external behavior ( expression) and on a neurophysiological basis.

The role of emotions in human life

For a person, the main significance of emotions is that, thanks to emotions, we better understand those around us, we can, without using speech, judge each other’s state and better tune in to joint activities and communication.

Life without emotions is just as impossible as life without sensations. Emotions, according to Charles Darwin, arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions to satisfy their actual needs. Emotionally expressive movements of a person - facial expressions, gestures, pantomime - perform the function of communication, i.e. informing a person of information about the state of the speaker and his attitude towards what is in this moment occurs, as well as the function of influence - exerting a certain influence on the one who is the subject of the perception of emotional and expressive movements.

Remarkable, for example, is the fact that people belonging to different cultures are able to accurately perceive and evaluate the expression of a human face, and determine from it such emotional states, such as joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise. This fact not only convincingly proves the innate nature of basic emotions, but also “the presence of a genetically determined ability to understand them in living beings.” This refers to the communication of living beings not only of the same species with each other, but also different types between themselves. It is well known that higher animals and humans are capable of perceiving and assessing each other’s emotional states by facial expressions.

Not all emotional and expressive expressions are innate. Some of them have been found to be acquired during life as a result of training and upbringing.

Life without emotions is just as impossible as without sensations. Emotions, according to Charles Darwin, arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions to satisfy their actual needs.

In higher animals, and especially in humans, expressive movements have become a finely differentiated language with the help of which living beings exchange information about their states and what is happening around them. These are the expressive and communicative functions of emotions. They are also the most important factor in the regulation of cognitive processes.

Emotions act as an internal language, as a system of signals through which the subject learns about the need-based significance of what is happening. “The peculiarity of emotions is that they directly deny the relationship between motivations and the implementation that corresponds to these motives of activity. Emotions in human activity perform the function of assessing its progress and results. They organize activities, stimulating and directing them.”

In critical conditions, when the subject is unable to find a quick and reasonable way out dangerous situation, a special type of emotional processes arises - affect. One of the significant manifestations of affect is that, as V.K. believes. Vilyunas, “imposing stereotypical actions on the subject, represents a certain way of “emergency” resolution of situations fixed in evolution: flight, numbness, aggression, etc.” .

The important mobilization, integrative and protective role of emotions was pointed out by the prominent Russian psychologist P.K. Anokhin. He wrote: “Producing almost instantaneous integration (unification into a single whole) of all functions of the body, emotions themselves and first of all can be an absolute signal of a beneficial or harmful effect on the body, often even before the localization of the effects and the specific mechanism of the response are determined organism."

Thanks to timely emotions, the body has the ability to adapt extremely advantageously to environmental conditions. He is able to quickly, with great speed, react to an external influence, without yet determining its type, shape, or other particular specific parameters.

Emotional sensations are biologically, in the process of evolution, established as a unique way of maintaining the life process within its optimal boundaries and warn about the destructive nature of the lack or excess of any factors.

The more complex a living being is organized, the more high level on the evolutionary ladder it occupies, the richer the range of emotional states that an individual is capable of experiencing. The quantity and quality of a person’s needs corresponds to the number and variety of emotional experiences and feelings characteristic of him, and “the higher the need in its social and moral significance, the more exalted the feeling associated with it.”

The most ancient in origin, the simplest and most widespread form of emotional experiences among living beings is the pleasure received from satisfying organic needs, and the displeasure associated with the inability to do this when the corresponding need intensifies.

Almost all elementary organic sensations have their own emotional tone. The close connection that exists between emotions and the activity of the body is evidenced by the fact that any emotional state is accompanied by many physiological changes in the body. (In this work we partially try to trace this dependence.)

The closer to the central nervous system the source of organic changes associated with emotions is located, and the fewer sensitive nerve endings it contains, the weaker the subjective emotional experience that arises. In addition, an artificial decrease in organic sensitivity leads to a weakening of the strength of emotional experiences.

The main emotional states that a person experiences are divided into actual emotions, feelings and affects. Emotions and feelings anticipate the process aimed at satisfying a need and are, as it were, at the beginning of it. Emotions and feelings express the meaning of a situation for a person from the point of view of a currently relevant need, the significance of the upcoming action or activity for its satisfaction. “Emotions,” believes A.O. Prokhorov, - can be caused by both real and imaginary situations. They, like feelings, are perceived by a person as his own internal experiences, transmitted to other people, and empathized with.”

Emotions are relatively weakly manifested in external behavior, sometimes from the outside they are completely invisible to an outsider, if a person knows how to hide his feelings well. They, accompanying one or another behavioral act, are not even always conscious, although all behavior is associated with emotions, since it is aimed at satisfying a need. A person's emotional experience is usually much broader than the experience of his individual experiences. A person’s feelings, on the contrary, are outwardly very noticeable.

Feelings are objective in nature and are associated with a representation or idea about a certain object. Another feature of feelings is that they are improved and, developing, form a number of levels, starting from immediate feelings and ending with your feelings related to spiritual values ​​and ideals. Feelings play a motivating role in a person’s life and activity, in his communication with people around him. In relation to the world around him, a person strives to act in such a way as to strengthen and strengthen his positive feelings. For him, they are always connected with the work of consciousness and can be voluntarily regulated.

Every emotional state is accompanied by numerous physiological changes in the body. Throughout the history of the development of this area of ​​psychological knowledge, attempts have been made more than once to connect physiological changes in the body with certain emotions and to show that the complexes of organic signs accompanying various emotional processes are really different.

The desire to find the root cause of emotional states led to the emergence of different points of view, which are reflected in the corresponding theories.

In 1872, Charles Darwin published the book “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals,” which was a turning point in understanding the connection between biological and psychological phenomena, in particular, the body and emotions. It proved that the evolutionary principle is applicable not only to the biophysical, but also to the psychological and behavioral development of living things, and that there is no impassable gap between the behavior of animals and humans. Darwin showed that anthropoids and children born blind have much in common in the external expression of various emotional states and in expressive bodily movements. These observations formed the basis of the theory of emotions, which was called evolutionary. Emotions, according to this theory, appeared in the process of evolution of living beings as vital adaptive mechanisms that contribute to the adaptation of the organism to the conditions and situations of its life. The bodily changes that accompany various emotional states, in particular those associated with the corresponding emotions of movement, according to Darwin, are nothing more than the rudiments of real adaptive reactions of the body.

The modern history of emotions begins with the James-Lange theory, according to which the root causes of emotions are organic (physical, bodily) changes.

The obligatory inclusion of bodily reactions in emotional experiences served as the basis for W. James, an outstanding American psychologist, to formulate the theory of emotions, according to which subjectively experienced emotions are nothing more than the experience of bodily changes occurring in the body in response to the perception of some fact .

Reflected in the human psyche through a system of feedback, they give rise to an emotional experience of the corresponding modality. According to this point of view, first, under the influence of external stimuli, changes characteristic of emotions occur in the body and only then, as a consequence, does the emotion itself arise. Thus, peripheral organic changes, which before the advent of the James-Lange theory were considered as consequences of emotions, became their root cause.

As proof, James invites us to imagine some emotion and mentally subtract from the entire complex of experiences all sensations of the bodily organs. As a result, we will see that there will be nothing left of the emotion. Figuratively, this dependence, according to James, can be expressed by the formula: “We cry not because we are sad, but we are sad because we cry.”

An alternative point of view on the relationship between organic and emotional processes was proposed by W. Cannon. He was one of the first to note the fact that the bodily changes observed during the occurrence of different emotional states are very similar to each other and are insufficient in diversity to completely satisfactorily explain the qualitative differences in the highest emotional experiences of a person. The internal organs, with changes in the states of which James and Lange associated the emergence of emotional states, in addition, are rather insensitive structures that very slowly come to a state of excitation. Emotions usually arise and develop quite quickly.

Cannon's strongest counterargument to the James-Lange theory was the following: artificially induced cessation of the flow of organic signals into the brain does not prevent the occurrence of emotions. Cannon's provisions were developed by P. Bard, who showed that in fact both bodily changes and the emotional experiences associated with them arise almost simultaneously.

In later studies, it was discovered that of all the structures of the brain, it is not even the thalamus itself that is most functionally connected with emotions, but the hypothalamus and the central parts of the limbic system. In experiments conducted on animals, it was found that electrical influences on these structures can control emotional states, such as anger, fear (J. Delgado).

The psychoorganic theory of emotions (as the concepts of James-Lange and Cannon-Bard can be called) received further development under the influence of electrophysiological studies of the brain. On its basis, the Lindsay–Hebb activation theory arose. According to this theory, emotional states are determined by the influence of the reticular formation of the lower part of the brain stem. Emotions arise as a result of disruption and restoration of balance in the corresponding structures of the central nervous system. Activation theory is based on the following basic principles:

The electroencephalographic picture of brain function that occurs during emotions is an expression of the so-called “activation complex” associated with the activity of the reticular formation.

The work of the reticular formation determines many dynamic parameters of emotional states: their strength, duration, variability and a number of others.

Following theories that explain the relationship between emotional and organic processes, theories have emerged that describe the influence of emotions on the human psyche and behavior. Emotions, as it turns out, regulate activity, revealing a very definite influence on it, depending on the nature and intensity of the emotional experience. BEFORE. Hebb was able to experimentally obtain a curve expressing the relationship between the level of emotional arousal of a person and the success of his practical activity.

For achievement highest result In activities, both too weak and very strong emotional arousals are undesirable. For each person (and in general for all people) there is an optimum of emotional excitability, which ensures maximum efficiency in work. The optimal level of emotional arousal, in turn, depends on many factors: on the characteristics of the activity we perform, on the conditions in which it takes place, on the individuality of the person involved in it, and on much more. Too weak emotional arousal does not provide proper motivation for activity, and too strong one destroys it, disorganizes it and makes it practically uncontrollable.

In humans, in the dynamics of emotional processes and states, cognitive-psychological factors play no less a role than organic and physical influences (cognitive means related to knowledge). In this regard, new concepts have been proposed that explain human emotions by the dynamic features of cognitive processes.

One of the first such theories was the theory of cognitive dissonance by L. Festinger. According to it, a positive emotional experience occurs in a person when his expectations are confirmed and cognitive ideas come true, i.e. when the real results of activity correspond to the intended ones, are consistent with them, or, what is the same, are in consonance. Negative emotions arise and intensify in cases where there is a discrepancy, inconsistency or dissonance between the expected and actual results of activity.

Subjectively, a person usually experiences a state of cognitive dissonance as discomfort, and he strives to get rid of it as soon as possible. The way out of the state of cognitive dissonance can be twofold: either change cognitive expectations and plans so that they correspond to the actual result obtained, or try to get a new result that would be consistent with previous expectations. IN modern psychology The theory of cognitive dissonance is often used to explain a person’s actions and actions in various social situations. Emotions are considered as the main motive for corresponding actions and deeds. The underlying cognitive factors are given a much greater role in determining human behavior than organic changes.

The dominant cognitivist orientation of modern psychological research led to the fact that conscious assessments that a person gives to a situation were also considered as smotiogenic factors. It is believed that such assessments directly influence the nature of the emotional experience.

S. Schechter contributed to what was said about the conditions and factors for the emergence of emotions and their dynamics by W. James, K. Lange, W. Cannon, P. Bard, D. Hebb and L. Festinger. He showed that a person’s memory and motivation make a significant contribution to emotional processes. The concept of emotions proposed by S. Schechter is called cognitive-physiological.

According to this theory, the resulting emotional state, in addition to perceived stimuli and the bodily changes generated by them, is influenced by past experience person and his assessment of the current situation from the point of view of his current interests and needs. Indirect confirmation of the validity of the cognitive theory of emotions is the influence on a person’s experiences of verbal instructions, as well as that additional emotiogenic information that is intended to change a person’s assessment of the situation that has arisen.

In one of the experiments aimed at proving the stated provisions of the cognitive theory of emotions, people were given physiologically neutral solution accompanied by various instructions. In one case, they were told that this “medicine” would cause them to experience a state of euphoria, in the other, a state of anger. After taking the corresponding “medicine,” the subjects were asked after some time, when according to the instructions it should have started to act, how they felt. It turned out that the emotional experiences they described corresponded to those expected from the instructions given to them.

It has also been shown that the nature and intensity of a person’s emotional experiences in a given situation depend on how they are experienced by others nearby. This means that emotional states can be transmitted from person to person, and in humans, unlike animals, the quality of communicated emotional experiences depends on his personal attitude towards the one with whom he empathizes.

Domestic physiologist P.V. Simonov tried to present in a brief symbolic form his set of factors influencing the occurrence and nature of emotion. He proposed the following formula for this:

E = F(P, (In-Is, ...)),

where E is emotion, its strength and quality; /7 - the magnitude and specificity of the current need; (In - Is) - assessment of the likelihood (possibility) of satisfying a given need based on innate and lifetime experience; Information about the means predicted to be necessary to meet existing needs; IS - information about the funds a person has at a given moment in time. According to the formula proposed by P.V. Simonov (his concept can also be classified as cognitivist and has a special name - informational), the strength and quality of the emotion that arises in a person is ultimately determined by the strength of the need and the assessment of the ability to satisfy it in the current situation.

The cerebral cortex plays a leading role in the regulation of emotional states. I.P. Pavlov showed that it is the cortex that regulates the flow and expression of emotions, keeps under its control all phenomena occurring in the body, has an inhibitory effect on the subcortical centers, and controls them. The second signaling system plays a significant role in a person’s emotional experiences, since experiences arise not only from the direct influences of the external environment, but can also be caused by words and thoughts.

Author course work shares the concept of the dual nature of emotions. Physiological changes are one of two components of emotions, and a very nonspecific component. A number of physiological reactions manifest themselves during both positive and negative emotions, for example, the heart can beat not only from fear, but also from joy, the same is true for breathing rate and many other reactions. The specificity of emotion is given by the subjective coloring of experiences, thanks to which we will never confuse fear with joy, despite the similarity of some of the physiological reactions accompanying them. Subjective experience of emotion, i.e. its qualitative feature is called the modality of emotion. The modality of emotions is the subjectively experienced fear, joy, surprise, annoyance, anger, despair, delight, love, hatred, etc.

Thus, according to the authors of the textbook, each emotion consists of two components - an impressive one, characterized by the experience of the subjective uniqueness of a given emotion, and an expressive one - involuntary reactions of the body, which include reactions internal organs and systems, undifferentiated muscle reactions (trembling, increased tone), as well as so-called expressive movements, which, among other things, have a communicative, signaling nature (scream, facial expressions, posture, voice intonation).

1.3 Emotional states

As mentioned above, the main emotional states that a person experiences are divided into: actual emotions, feelings and affects.

Emotions and feelings anticipate the process aimed at satisfying a need, have an ideational character and are, as it were, at the beginning of it. Emotions usually follow the actualization of the motive and before the rational assessment of the adequacy of the subject’s activity to it. They are a direct reflection, an experience of existing relationships, and not their reflection. Emotions are capable of anticipating situations and events that have not yet actually occurred, and arise in connection with the idea of ​​previously experienced or imagined situations.

Feelings are objective in nature and are associated with a representation or idea about a certain object. Another feature of feelings is that they are improved and, developing, form a number of levels, starting from immediate feelings and ending with higher feelings related to spiritual values ​​and ideals. The feelings are historical. IN individual development human feelings play an important role. They act as a significant factor in the formation of personality, especially its motivational sphere. On the basis of positive emotional experiences such as feelings, the needs and interests of a person appear and are consolidated. Feelings play a motivating role in a person’s life and activity, in his communication with people around him.

Affects are particularly pronounced emotional states accompanied by visible changes in the behavior of the person experiencing them. Affect does not precede behavior, but is, as it were, shifted to its end. This is a reaction that arises as a result of an action or deed that has already been committed and expresses a subjective emotional coloring from the point of view of the extent to which, as a result of this action, it was possible to achieve the set goal, to satisfy the need that stimulated it. Affects contribute to the formation of so-called affective complexes in perception, which express the integrity of the perception of certain situations. The development of affect is subject to the following law: the stronger the initial motivational stimulus of behavior is, and the more effort had to be spent on implementing it, the smaller the result obtained as a result of all this, the stronger the resulting affect. Unlike emotions and feelings, affects occur violently, quickly, and are accompanied by pronounced organic changes and motor reactions. Affects can leave strong and lasting traces in long-term memory.

Emotional tension accumulated as a result of the occurrence of affectogenic situations can accumulate and sooner or later, if it is not released in time, lead to a strong and violent emotional release, which, while relieving tension, often entails a feeling of fatigue, depression, depression.

Stress is a state of excessively strong and prolonged psychological tension that occurs in a person when his nervous system receives emotional overload. Stress disorganizes a person’s activities and disrupts the normal course of his behavior. Stress, especially if it is frequent and prolonged, has a negative impact not only on a person’s psychological state, but also on a person’s physical health. They represent the main “risk factors” for the emergence and exacerbation of diseases such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

Passion is another type of complex, qualitatively unique and unique emotional state found only in humans. Passion is a fusion of emotions, motives and feelings concentrated around a specific activity or subject. Passion is a great force, which is why it is so important where it is directed. The infatuation of passion can come from unconscious bodily inclinations, and it can be imbued with the greatest consciousness and ideology. Passion essentially means an impulse, passion, orientation of all aspirations and forces of the individual in a single direction, concentrating them on a single goal. It is precisely because passion collects, absorbs and throws all its strength at one thing that it can be harmful and even fatal, but that is precisely why it can also be great. Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without great passion.

Talking about various types emotional formations and states, you need to highlight the mood. Mood is understood as the general emotional state of a person, expressed in the “structure” of all its manifestations. Two main features characterize mood in contrast to other emotional formations. Emotions and feelings are associated with some object and directed towards it: we are happy about something, upset about something, worried about something; but when a person is in a joyful mood, he is not just happy about something, but he is happy - sometimes, especially in his youth, so that everything in the world seems joyful and beautiful. The mood is not objective, but personal - it is, firstly, and, secondly, it is not a special experience dedicated to some particular event, but a diffuse general state.

Mood is closely related to how vital relationships develop for an individual with others and with the course of one’s own activities. Manifesting itself in the “structure” of this activity, woven into effective relationships with others, the mood is formed in it. At the same time, what is essential for mood, of course, is not the objective course of events in itself, regardless of the individual’s attitude towards it, but also how a person evaluates what is happening and relates to it. Therefore, a person’s mood significantly depends on his individual characterological characteristics, in particular on how he relates to difficulties - whether he is inclined to overestimate them and lose heart, easily demobilizing, or in the face of difficulties, without indulging in carelessness, he knows how to maintain confidence in the that can handle them.

Emotions affect a person's body and mind, they influence almost every aspect of his existence. In a person experiencing an emotion, a change in the electrical activity of the facial muscles can be recorded. Some changes are also observed in the electrical activity of the brain and in the functioning of the circulatory and respiratory systems. The pulse of an angry or frightened person can be 40-60 beats per minute higher than normal. So sudden changes somatic indicators when a person experiences a strong emotion indicate that almost all neurophysiological and somatic systems of the body are involved in this process. These changes inevitably affect the individual's perception, thinking and behavior, and extreme cases can lead to somatic mental disorders. Emotion activates the autonomic nervous system, which in turn affects the endocrine and neurohumoral systems. The mind and body require action. If, for one reason or another, behavior adequate to emotions is impossible for an individual, he is at risk of psychosomatic disorders. But it is not at all necessary to experience a psychosomatic crisis in order to feel how powerfully emotions have an impact on almost all somatic and physiological functions body. Whatever the emotion experienced by a person - powerful or barely expressed - it always causes physiological changes in his body, and these changes are sometimes so serious that they cannot be ignored. Of course, with smoothed, indistinct emotions, somatic changes are not so clearly expressed - without reaching the threshold of awareness, they often go unnoticed. But we should not underestimate the importance of such unconscious, subliminal processes for the body. Somatic reactions to a mild emotion are not as intense as a violent reaction to a strong emotional experience, but the duration of exposure to a subthreshold emotion can be very long. What we call “mood” is usually formed under the influence of just such emotions. Prolonged negative emotion, even of moderate intensity, can be extremely dangerous and, in the end, even fraught with physical or mental disorders. Neuroscience research suggests that emotions and mood affect the immune system and reduce resistance to disease. If you experience anger, anxiety or depression for a long time - even if these emotions are mild - then you are more likely to get an acute respiratory infection, the flu, or contract an intestinal infection. The influence of emotions on a person is generalized, but each emotion affects him in its own way. The experience of emotion changes the level of electrical activity in the brain, dictates which muscles of the face and body should be tense or relaxed, and controls the endocrine, circulatory and respiratory systems of the body.

Eliminating unwanted emotional states

K. Izard notes three ways to eliminate an unwanted emotional state:

1) through another emotion;

2) cognitive regulation;

3) motor regulation.

The first method of regulation involves conscious efforts aimed at activating another emotion opposite to the one that the person is experiencing and wants to eliminate. The second method involves using attention and thinking to suppress or gain control over an unwanted emotion. This is a switching of consciousness to events and activities that arouse a person’s interest and positive emotional experiences. The third method involves the use of physical activity as a channel for relieving emotional stress.

Particular methods of regulating the emotional state (for example, the use of breathing exercises, mental regulation, the use of “defense mechanisms,” changing the direction of consciousness) basically fit into the three global methods noted by Izard.

Currently, many different methods of self-regulation have been developed: relaxation training, autogenic training, desensitization, reactive relaxation, meditation, etc.

Mental regulation is associated either with external influence (another person, music, color, natural landscape), or with self-regulation.

In both cases, the most common is the method developed in 1932 by the German psychiatrist I. Schultz (1966) and called “autogenic training”. Currently, many of its modifications have appeared (Alekseev, 1978; Vyatkin, 1981; Gorbunov, 1976; Marishchuk, Khvoinov, 1969; Chernikova, Dashkevich, 1968, 1971, etc.).

Along with autogenic training, another self-regulation system is known - “progressive relaxation” (muscle relaxation). When developing this method, E. Jacobson proceeded from the fact that with many emotions, tension in the skeletal muscles is observed. Hence, in accordance with the James-Lange theory, to relieve emotional tension (anxiety, fear), he suggests relaxing the muscles. This method also corresponds to recommendations to put a smile on your face in case of negative experiences and to activate your sense of humor. Reassessing the significance of an event, relaxing muscles after a person has laughed it off, and normalizing heart function - these are the components of the positive effect of laughter on a person’s emotional state.

A.V. Alekseev (1978) created new technique, called “psychoregulatory training,” which differs from autogenic training in that it does not use the suggestion of a “feeling of heaviness” in various parts of the body, and also in that it has not only a calming, but also an exciting part. It includes some elements from the methods of E. Jacobson and L. Percival. The psychological basis of this method is the dispassionate concentration of attention on the images and sensations associated with the relaxation of skeletal muscles.

Changing the direction of consciousness. The options for this method of self-regulation are varied.

Disconnection (distraction) consists of the ability to think about anything except emotional circumstances. Disconnection required volitional efforts, with the help of which a person tries to focus attention on the representation of foreign objects and situations. Distraction was also used in Russian healing spells as a way to eliminate negative emotions (Sventsitskaya, 1999).

Switching is associated with the focus of consciousness on some interesting activity (reading an exciting book, watching a movie, etc.) or on the business side of the upcoming activity. As A. Ts. Puni and F. A. Grebaus write, switching attention from painful thoughts to the business side of even the upcoming activity, understanding difficulties through their analysis, clarifying instructions and tasks, mentally repeating upcoming actions, focusing on the technical details of the task, tactical techniques, and not on the significance of the result, gives a better effect than distraction from the upcoming activity.

Reducing the significance of the upcoming activity or the result obtained is carried out by giving the event less value or generally overestimating the significance of the situation along the lines of “I didn’t really want to”, “the main thing in life is not this, you shouldn’t treat what happened as a disaster”, “failures are already were, and now I treat them differently,” etc. This is how L.N. Tolstoy describes in “Anna Karenina” the use of the last technique by Levin: “Even at first, after returning from Moscow, when Levin shuddered and blushed every time, remembering the shame of refusal, he said to himself: “I blushed and shuddered in the same way, considering everything lost, when I received a unit for physics and remained in the second year; I also considered myself dead after ruining my sister’s work. And now, when years have passed, I remember and wonder how this could upset me. and with this grief. Time will pass, and I will be indifferent to it."

The following ways can help relieve emotional stress.

Receipt additional information, removing the uncertainty of the situation.

Developing a backup fallback strategy for achieving a goal in case of failure (for example, if I don’t get into this institute, then I’ll go to another one).

Postponing the achievement of a goal for a time when it is realized that it is impossible to do this with the available knowledge, means, etc.

Physical release (as I.P. Pavlov said, you need to “drive passion into the muscles”); since during a strong emotional experience the body gives a mobilization reaction for intense muscular work, it needs to be given this work. To do this, you can take a long walk, do some useful physical work, etc. Sometimes such a discharge occurs in a person as if by itself: when extremely excited, he rushes around the room, sorts through things, tears something, etc. A tic (an involuntary contraction of the facial muscles), which occurs in many people at the moment of excitement, is also a reflexive form of motor discharge of emotional stress.

Listening to music.

Writing a letter, writing in a diary outlining the situation and the reasons that caused emotional stress. It is recommended to divide the sheet of paper into two columns.

Use of defense mechanisms. Unwanted emotions can be overcome or reduced by using strategies called defense mechanisms. 3. Freud identified several such defenses.

Escaping is a physical or mental escape from too much difficult situation. This is the most common defense mechanism in young children.

Identification is the process of appropriating the attitudes and views of other people. A person adopts the attitudes of people who are powerful in his eyes and, becoming like them, feels less helpless, which leads to a decrease in anxiety.

Projection is the attribution of one's own antisocial thoughts and actions to someone else: “He did it, not me.” Essentially, this is shifting responsibility to someone else.

Displacement is the replacement of the real source of anger or fear by someone or something. A typical example of such a defense is indirect physical aggression (taking out evil, annoyance on an object that is not related to the situation that caused these emotions).

Denial is the refusal to acknowledge that some situation or events are occurring. The mother refuses to believe that her son was killed in the war, the child, at the death of his beloved pet, pretends that he still lives and sleeps with them at night. This type of protection is more typical for young children.

Repression is an extreme form of denial, an unconscious act of erasing from memory a frightening or unpleasant event that causes anxiety and negative experiences.

Regression is a return to more ontogenetically earlier, primitive forms of response to an emotiogenic situation.

Reactive education is behavior that is opposite to existing thoughts and desires that cause anxiety, with the aim of masking them. Characteristic of more mature children, as well as adults. For example, wanting to hide his love, a person will show unfriendliness towards the object of his adoration, and teenagers will also show aggressiveness.

Persistent attempts to influence a very agitated person to calm him down with the help of persuasion, persuasion, suggestion, as a rule, are not successful due to the fact that from all the information that is communicated to the worried person, he selects, perceives and takes into account only that which corresponds to his emotional state. Moreover, an emotionally excited person may be offended, thinking that he is not understood. It is better to let such a person speak out and even cry. “A tear always washes away something and brings consolation,” wrote V. Hugo.

The use of breathing exercises, according to V. L. Marishchuk (1967), R. Demeter (1969), O. A. Chernikova (1980) and other psychologists and physiologists, is the most accessible way to regulate emotional arousal. Various methods are used. R. Demeter used breathing using a pause:

1) without pause: normal breathing - inhale, exhale;

2) pause after inhalation: inhale, pause (two seconds), exhale;

3) pause after exhalation: inhale, exhale, pause;

4) pause after inhalation and exhalation: inhale, pause, exhale, pause;

5) half-inhale, pause, half-inhale and exhale;

6) inhale, half exhale, pause, half exhale;

7) half inhale, pause, half inhale, half exhale, pause, half exhale.

Inhale through the nose - exhale through the nose;

Inhale through the nose - exhale through the mouth;

Inhale through the mouth - exhale through the mouth;

Inhale through the mouth - exhale through the nose.

The effect may be small at first. As the exercises are repeated, the positive effect increases, but they should not be overused.

Canadian scientist L. Percival proposed using breathing exercises in combination with muscle tension and relaxation. By holding your breath against the background of muscle tension, and then calmly exhaling, accompanied by muscle relaxation, you can relieve excessive anxiety.

Conclusion

During the preparation of the course work, the following tasks were solved:

1. The concept of emotions, their types and role in human life is revealed.

2. A review of psychological theories on the problem of emotions was conducted.

3. The characteristics of basic emotional states are described.

4. Methods for eliminating negative emotional states are given.

Emotions are elementary experiences that arise in a person under the influence of the general state of the body and the process of satisfying current needs.

Depending on the duration, intensity, objectivity or uncertainty, as well as the quality of emotions, all emotions are divided into emotional reactions, emotional states and emotional relationships.

Emotional states are characterized by a longer duration, which can be measured in hours and days. According to their modality, emotional states can appear in the form of irritability, anxiety, complacency, various shades of mood - from depressive states to euphoria. In psychological literature, it is also common to divide the emotional states that a person experiences into actual emotions, feelings and affects.

The desire to find the root cause of emotional states led to the emergence of different points of view, which are reflected in the corresponding psychological theories.

Ways to eliminate an unwanted emotional state:

1. Mental regulation

2. Changing the direction of consciousness (Disconnection, switching, reducing the significance of the upcoming activity or the result obtained).

5. Use of defense mechanisms (withdrawal, identification, projection, displacement);

6. Breathing exercises.

Bibliography

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Emotions allow us to interact with other people understand each other better.

In this regard, the issue of emotional states and their classification acquires special significance.

How to get rid of unnecessary emotions? Find out about this from ours.

What is it: concept

Emotional condition is a mental state that arises in the process of life and determines the direction of an individual’s behavior.

Many aspects of life depend on this condition, including health, performance, and sociability.

At the same time, it has influence from outside. For example, this could include the area where an individual lives or the atmosphere in the workplace.

It was also revealed direct music influence on the human condition. For example, depressive compositions lead to despondency for no apparent reason, while active melodies evoke positive feelings.

Psycho-emotional states are understood as a special form, which is characterized by predominance of emotional response for any event, action or situation (see photo).

Classification: main types

What emotions can there be?

In his life, a person experiences a variety of emotions, some of which are even difficult to describe.

At the same time, various researchers have tried to structure them. There is still no single approach to this issue.

If we consider the simplest classification, then we can present it as follows:

In addition to this list, in psychology emotions are also divided into the following types:

The role that emotions play in various areas of our lives cannot be underestimated.

For example, based on psychological research in marketing, it was created matrix of emotions. This is what brands use when creating their logo.

Its essence is that the desire for the upper right corner seems more pleasant, inspires confidence. The concentration of the logo in the middle of the matrix is ​​also considered harmonious.

But if the direction of the logo tends to the lower left corner, then such a brand creates a negative impression.

Forms and examples of emotional processes and states

Emotional states and processes can be classified as follows:

Izard's Differential Emotions - Table

K. Izard identified the following basic human emotions:

1. Interest. Because man is different socially life, then interest is one of the most frequently experienced feelings for him. Thanks to it, the individual acquires new skills, abilities, and knowledge. Interest helps him develop, both physically and intellectually. It is of particular importance as it influences the development of both the individual and society as a whole.
2. Pleasure. In some sources it is also called “joy.” It is characterized by a positive background and arises as a result of the opportunity to satisfy a need that is relevant to the individual or its direct satisfaction.

   It is of great importance for a person, it increases his mood, facilitates the process of interaction with others, helps to get rid of negativity and stress.

3. Astonishment. It does not have any color and appears as a reaction to a sudden phenomenon or action. The main task of surprise is to prepare the individual for the unexpected and to focus his attention on this event.
4. Anger. A negative state that mainly arises due to the inability to satisfy what is important to the individual or failure on the way to its satisfaction. May also be caused by deception or insult. Anger has an uncontrollable form - rage, which arises with maximum dissatisfaction with the current circumstances.



5. Disgust. A negative state of a person that appears as a result of interaction with something or someone unpleasant. Disgust is characterized by a strong desire to get rid of the factors that directly provoke it.
6. Contempt. Appears due to disagreements between the existing beliefs and actions of one individual with the beliefs and actions of another. Its function is to make a person feel better than the one at whom his contempt is directed.
7. . Arises as a result of a discrepancy between appearance or behavior and one’s own beliefs and the opinion of society.

   Based on this state, a feeling of helplessness appears, which is very unpleasant for a person.

8. Guilt. It arises on the basis of an individual’s condemnation of his own actions. Accompanied by self-doubt, as well as feelings of shame and remorse.
9. . Represents a negative state. It appears as a result of receiving information about a threat to a person’s life, both real and imaginary. It is of great importance as it affects the appearance, behavior and thinking of an individual.



10. Grief. Is a reaction to problems that have arisen in life. negative situations, which can be permanent or temporary. Very often it acts as a moderate motivation for an individual to begin solving the problems that he has accumulated.

K. Izard also developed a scale of differential emotions. It is used to diagnose the dominant emotional state in a person. For this purpose, a scale of the significance of emotions is used, which looks like this:

Participants are invited rate your well-being on a 4-point scale(that is, each column of the table presented above) at the moment, where:

1 - not suitable at all;

2 - rather true;

3 - true;

4 is absolutely correct.

After this, the sum of points is calculated for each row in the table and well-being coefficient is calculated(KS), according to the following formula:

KS = (C 1 + C 2 + C 3 + C 9 + C 10) / (C 4 + C 5 + C 6 + C 7 + C 8)

If the final value is greater than 1, then the state of health can be characterized as positive; if, on the contrary, it is less than 1, then the emotional state is negative, and there may even be a depressive state.

Response scale

Emotional Response Scale is a technique in the form of a questionnaire that is used to measure human empathy, that is, the ability to empathize and have an emotional response.

The questionnaire presents 25 judgments, among which there are both direct and reverse.

In order to pass it, You need to assess your level of agreement: always agree, somewhat agree (or often agree), somewhat disagree with the statement (or agree, but rarely) and never agree.

Thanks to this scale, it becomes possible to see the individual’s attitude towards various situations interactions with other people.

At the end the total amount of points received is calculated and is checked against the following gradation of levels:

• less than 11 points - extremely low level of empathy;
• from 12 to 36 points - low level of empathy;
• from 37 to 62 points - normal level of empathy;
• from 63 to 81 points - high level of empathy;
• from 82 to 90 points - an extremely high level of empathy.

The ability to empathize is a valuable quality for an individual, but too much is not always useful. It is considered the most favorable normal level(37-62 points), when a person shows empathy, but at the same time does not forget about his own interests.

An extremely high level of empathy is characterized by too much complaisance - such people are often used for their own purposes. In turn, individuals with extreme low level It’s difficult to build relationships with others; they have a hard time making contact.

In our life there is big variety emotions. They perform various functions and are of great importance to humans. Due to this this topic is quite interesting and is actively studied by researchers to this day.

Definition and types of emotions: