Essay about Basic Emotions

Submitted By ollie47
Words: 1433
Pages: 6

Emotional Development
Emotions do not all come from the same origin or they used for the same purpose. The child’s brain most develop first as emotional development is linked to the brain’s development.
There are two different types of emotions that come in different origins. Basic emotions that are present from birth that do not change dramatically through life as these emotions have already been programed into the brain {hardwired} in young infant.
Some basic emotions can be changed subject to the environment and can become controlled and do not develop much over a life span.
Secondary emotions come from the infants experiences with in there social experiences and surroundings {Mother, Father, Caregiver, friends and peers} these emotions are developed through experiences that arise during development not from basic emotions.
Infant’s proto emotions- satisfaction and frustration which are developed under the influence of social emotions. These are feelings much dependent on how the child views the environment and how the environment treats the child.
All emotions share a common characteristic in that they move us and are not entirely controllable if feelings could be totally controlled we would all be emotionless the feeling we would feel under control would not be emotions.
(R. Lewis Emotional Development of a child)

Discrete Emotions Theory
Basic emotions such as fear, Anger, Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Interest, and Surprise are all shown in early infancy expression and used by all cultures a basic emotions facial expressions are always done quickly without thought. Theorist Izard{1977;1993} Tomkins{1982} Ekman{1984} and others who stained from the ‘cognitive revolution’ of the 1960’s & 1970’s stated that emotions were discrete entities, separate from though interacting with other psychological systems including cognition. This theory of emotion has three components most important is the physiological component being largely neural behavioral component. The third component which is less important is subjective experience of emotion is a consequence of the interaction of the other two components. Izard, Tomkins & Ekman were particularly interested in facial expressions in infants this theorist found that the facial expressions of infants with Darwin {1872} expressions did not change across cultures and must reflect the basic emotions neural features from this theory as time passes the basic emotions interact with cognition to form “cognitive affective structures” although basic emotions do not change their structures in this process. These are also called Primary emotions.
Secondary emotions also known as social emotions are Love, Anxious, Fear , Anger/ Frustration, Jealousy, Bitterness, Distain, Envy, Sorrow, Guilt, Shame, Pride, Sympathy and Empathy although the last 3 are self-conscious the other emotions are influenced by culture varied expression or little expression. If a child has been emotionally deprived or abused the child’s secondary emotions might not develop and if they do develop they might develop in ways that are unsatisfactory to family and socially.
For example a new born infant show basic emotional expression’s by using these emotional expressions the baby gets the adults attention which the baby needs to survive. These emotions are expressions that a baby uses which are initiative when a baby is startled or surprised this is a reflex as the baby does not understand what the emotion is because they have no sense of awareness which is needed to understand why the emotion has happened. As the baby grows and there neurological development in the cortex modifies and forms the use of in-built emotions are better expressed. After two to three months the baby