In this module, we looked at how emotions are a part of our cognitive systems and how emotions are something that we create rather than something that happens to us. It was very interesting to analyze the relationship between the mind and emotions. I definitely believe that emotions are a part of our cognitive system rather than something that is separate from it.
Inside Out
At the beginning of the film, we see how the emotion character’s are a part of Riley’s cognition. When Riley’s father states, “If you don’t eat your dinner, you are not going to get any dessert,” Anger jumps into the picture. Anger gets very angry that Riley won’t be getting dessert for not having ate her dinner, so he causes Riley to act angry and make a mess with her food and begin to cry and shout. This scene relates to the James-Lange Theory of Appraisal from our lecture slides. In the scene from the film, the event that happen is Riley is told she will not be given dessert if she does not eat her dinner. This causes the character Anger to get up from where he is sitting and become angry. The interpretation of the event is that it is unfair that Riley will not get dessert for not eating her dinner. So, the emotion that comes out of Riley is anger, and she begins to knock her plate and food all over the place. I think this scene is an interesting example of how the film portrays how emotions and the cognitive system are linked together and not separate. This example of Anger causing Riley to act the way she did also goes against William James’s theory that sensations are emotions. Riley’s anger is expressed when the character Anger flips those power switches, and Riley acts out. This goes against James’s ideas because Riley’s mind (Anger) understands the situation and then makes Riley act the way she does. However, James’s opinion would be that Riley would be anger because of the way she acts in regards to being told she won’t get dessert. Therefore, Anger wouldn’t be the one flipping the switch to make Riley angry. James would argue that the bodily sensations would be the emotion rather than Anger the character. The film does a wonderful job of tying emotions, body, and mind together, as the emotion characters are able to incite reactions out of Riley.
“Man of the People” Star Trek: The Next Generation
This episode was another interesting one. We see Deanna Troi detriorate until death. We find out that Alkar was channeling of all his negative emotions to Troi. It is incredible to see how these negative emotions that Troi experiences causes her to age very very rapidly. I think that this is an important example to show how emotions, mind, and body are tied together, as we see the negative effects of negative emotions on the body. Furthermore, once the negative emotions Alkar was placing onto others comes back to him, he also dies.
It is important to note have strong emotions are and the impact they can have on people. After analyzing these films, I think it’s safe to say that it’s impossible to separate emotions from our cognition. You can’t just turn them on and off and decide if you’re going to have them or not. Emotions, mind, and body are all tied together.
4 thoughts on “Analysis 4 – Feeling Emotions”
Hi Anthony,
Yes, there is considerable research in neuroscience and cognitive science that our cognitive and emotional systems are not separate, but are part of the same integrated system. This has profound implications for how we think about mind, body, and feeling, and the relationships between them.
You do a great job of discussing on the film Inside Out presents an appraisal theory of emotion. As you note, we see a situation, an assessment of that situation, and then an emotional reactions. Your observation that the film’s representation is contrary to what James says about emotion is also great. As you note, James argues that our bodily experience of an emotion is not an expression of or in response to the emotion, but the emotion itself. In the film, though, we see one of the emotions hit a button and then Riley responds. This suggests that our bodily feelings and actions are a reaction to emotion, not constitutive of it.
As you note, “Man of the People,” demonstrates the connection between mind, body, and emotion. But it is worth noting that in this episode, emotions are, to some extent, disembodied. Aklar seem to be able to release emotions from his body by forcing them into the body of another person.
Jessica Hautsch
Hey Anthony,
Your comparison to the Theory of Appraisal with the scene of Riley throwing a tantrum was great. I didn’t think to talk about the power switches that Anger touches which I think was an excellent idea. We all have this little switch inside of us that can channel anger, but never really truly noticed that Anger flips a switch in the movie when he’s ready to express his emotion. Emotions can really take a toll of someone, as shown in the Star Trek episode. I don’t know if you have ever seen Kim Possible but there was this one episode where her emotions were controlled a “Moodulator” it’s has if Troi was wearing one
bridiaz
Hey Anthony, I Also thought it was interesting to see how the emotions aged Troi. It made me question why she wasn’t noticing there was an issue because I feel like Deanna knew the minute it happened that she received his emotions and the other woman had to notice that she was rapidly aging and she was always accompanying him, but neither woman said anything? were both the women so obsessed with him because he’s a narcissist who placed his own person higher than the women he killed, and therefore when they received those emotions he foisted all of his self-love/narcissistic feelings onto them which resulted in them being obsessed and therefore also valuing his life over their own?
nperalta
Hi Nicole,
I love your discussion of Aklar as a narcissist. It would help to explain why both women were so obsessed with and jealous over him. It would also certainly fit with his complete disregard for their well being. This episode also made me think about how often women are asked to do emotional labor for men.
Jessica Hautsch