A Cognitive Perspective on Emotion

Abstract

There is a different version of this book titled "The Psychology of Emotions, Feelings and Thoughts" that is online at cnx.org/content/col10447 except one difference is this book has more references (and text explaining them). About the title - Plato believed that emotions were wild and uncontrollable; however, Aristotle held that emotions incorporate rationality. The cognitive perspective on emotion holds that emotions are based in reality, what you feel from an event is going to be accurate – and might be separate from what you are thinking how the event felt or was. People might evaluate events and that might change their emotions based upon what they want – for instance if something isn’t going your way you will feel bad. In the first 6 chapters I discuss the relationship between thoughts and emotions, highlighting that emotions are simply your thoughts about an event only unconscious ones. I explain the role emotions have in thought and how they help motivate thoughts. I also explain what the difference is between feelings and emotions, but show how thought is tied in even with that. In chapter 7 I show how important pleasure and pain are to emotions, how your conscious and unconscious thoughts are going to help determine what it is you are feeling (also in terms of pleasure and pain), and therefore that you can control your emotions simply by thinking properly. In chapter 8 I explain how positive emotions are processed better and easier than negative ones, which is a conscious process because you choose to process positive emotions better. In chapter 8 I show how physical feelings are mixed in with mental ones, and that shows that there is a set of feelings that isn’t determined by thought. In more of the book I talk about depression, anger, bipolar disorder, attention, intentions, attitude, intelligence, consciousness, concentration and vision. Those topics I discuss in a way that shows how conscious reflection can change the processes (relating to the cognitive perspective on emotion because it shows how emotions can be changed by thought (and they can be because emotions function from reality (which is your thoughts and real events))). There is a wikihow entry on how to control your emotions that is online at http://www.wikihow.com/Gain-Control-of-Your-Emotions . The external web link goes to this book on amazon.com ISBN 978-0557085071