I think that emotions are something that we learn. Emotions cannot be a biological part of us because if it is, we would all be the same, there would be no difference between everyone and we wouldn't be who we are.
A little girl at the age of 3 needed to go to the toilet at night, still awake as she only went into bed not long ago. She couldn't reach the switch and went in the dark. Having not been taught or experiences anything bad yet or seen horror movies or thrillers, she didn't have these haunting visions in her memory to scare her so she didn't feel scared or feared the dark.
A major percentage of the world are scared of the dark, and a main contribution to this are the fantasies we've been taught. The media nowadays are a major influence and this includes horror movies and thrillers. A human's brain processes this and under a simliar circumstance, we tend to remember this and fear it. This emotion cannot be "biological". It is learned. Although the reaction of it is linked to biological factors, the emotion itself isn't. Without being taught the scary things, it would be very hard, but not necessarily impossible to feel fear.
Fear could also be of losing a person, losing a game or even phobias. Fear of losing a person and a game is 'cause of what experiences you've been through and learnt from them. A phobia is due to extreme experiences we've had before which we don't necessarily remember therefore with this shadow in our memories, it could develop into a phobia. Yes, this is biologically related but without learning from the experience, the phobia itself wouldn't have developed.
Although I've only given examples of one emotion, I still strongly believe that emotions are gained from learning and experiences rather than biologically. I mean, how would you explain that the little girl wasn't scared due to biological reasons? I know for a fact that the brother of the girl is scared of the dark being 10 already. It's definately not biological. Emotions are learned.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Emotion - Robert Win
I believe that we are born with the basic emotions which allow us to communicate our feelings to other people from the start, but we gradually learn new emotions as we mature and develop the basic ones. An example would be that a baby would cry when he/she is hungry and uncomfortable, or after being told off by their parents, which is the expression of the emotion of sadness. These emotions are then developed as we grow older, from our experiences and education as well as our general environment. Evidence to support this is that everyone is psychologically unique, as no two people are able to think, feel, do, say the exact same things, all at the same time.
We are born like a memory stick, a blank piece of hardware with only the basics installed. As we mature and increase in experience, the memory stick gains more and more data, the data being anything we absorb during our lives experiences, including emotions, giving us a wider range and variety of emotions to feel or to choose from. Each memory stick would also gain different data in different orders to other memory sticks, making each one unique.
We are born like a memory stick, a blank piece of hardware with only the basics installed. As we mature and increase in experience, the memory stick gains more and more data, the data being anything we absorb during our lives experiences, including emotions, giving us a wider range and variety of emotions to feel or to choose from. Each memory stick would also gain different data in different orders to other memory sticks, making each one unique.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Emotion- Ming
Emotions are innate. From the very day we were born, we would weep and feel sad when we were hungry, sick, uncomfortable. We would feel happy, when our parents play with us, watch TV, amused by objects or beings. We smile and laugh, since when we were babies.
However, when we grow up, mature, we learn other feelings of this society, like guilt, ashamed, disgusted of what we have done. This can only be known when we have something to compare to, what is good or bad to do. Also, many of these emotions, we learn how to express them more effectively. Example, when we're sad, we do not only cry, but invent ways expressing our feelings, this maybe singing, become silent, speechless and even stoned. Of course, we can learn not to show our emotions, for example not to shout, scream, tremble when we are scared. . Therefore, emotions are innate, but some are learnt from other people and how to filter and express their emotions.
However, when we grow up, mature, we learn other feelings of this society, like guilt, ashamed, disgusted of what we have done. This can only be known when we have something to compare to, what is good or bad to do. Also, many of these emotions, we learn how to express them more effectively. Example, when we're sad, we do not only cry, but invent ways expressing our feelings, this maybe singing, become silent, speechless and even stoned. Of course, we can learn not to show our emotions, for example not to shout, scream, tremble when we are scared. . Therefore, emotions are innate, but some are learnt from other people and how to filter and express their emotions.
Emotions: ZOHA
Some may argue that emotions are in us from birth. Hence, they believe that expressing emotion is a completely biological process. If emotions are something we feel inside shouldn’t this be related to something un-physical? If one is saying that emotions are innate then we’re simply interpreting how we feel as psycho-chemical reactions in our brain.
Therefore “love” should be our reaction to hormones, and “fear” is just the result of high blood pressure and the release of adrenaline into the blood. It has been argued that if emotions weren’t innate how could a baby cry at birth.
The crying of a baby at birth isn’t an expression of “sadness” whatsoever but a reflex action. A baby doesn’t learn to cry due to “sadness’ or ‘anger’ until a certain age where he/she acquires that emotion. Before this, the act of crying is an exercise of vocal cords and the means of communication, a baby may cry because it’s hungry or thirty are these emotions? If one placed a nervous system into a robot who could then express laughter, crying, fear, sadness one would then have to support the idea that the robot is human.
Emotions are what makes us human and distinguishes us from animals. We don’t see a crying dog, or a laughing cat even though they have a nervous system too. Sure, one may argue that they express their emotions in another manner but it is scientifically proven for now that animals don’t have emotions. Therefore I would have to say that emotions are something we learn through experience and the environment.. As we get older we forget the last time we did something for the first time. For example if you’ve never touched snow would you know what it feels like?
Therefore “love” should be our reaction to hormones, and “fear” is just the result of high blood pressure and the release of adrenaline into the blood. It has been argued that if emotions weren’t innate how could a baby cry at birth.
The crying of a baby at birth isn’t an expression of “sadness” whatsoever but a reflex action. A baby doesn’t learn to cry due to “sadness’ or ‘anger’ until a certain age where he/she acquires that emotion. Before this, the act of crying is an exercise of vocal cords and the means of communication, a baby may cry because it’s hungry or thirty are these emotions? If one placed a nervous system into a robot who could then express laughter, crying, fear, sadness one would then have to support the idea that the robot is human.
Emotions are what makes us human and distinguishes us from animals. We don’t see a crying dog, or a laughing cat even though they have a nervous system too. Sure, one may argue that they express their emotions in another manner but it is scientifically proven for now that animals don’t have emotions. Therefore I would have to say that emotions are something we learn through experience and the environment.. As we get older we forget the last time we did something for the first time. For example if you’ve never touched snow would you know what it feels like?
Monday, December 17, 2007
Emotion: Yixia Gu
Emotion, I believe is something that a human is equipped with, and can be expressed from birth. Take a neonate for example: it greets the unfamiliar and quite intimidating world with a cry- an obvious emotion which also functions as a biological check to see if the vocal chords are is working properly. The baby had already knows how to cry without the influence of the environment. Many emotions also involve the brain triggering a response, as in the response to anger or sadness. In addition, certain parts of the limbic structure such as the Amygdala is responsible for production of negative, fear emotions, whilst the Insula is important in producing feelings of disgust, which contribute the notion that emotions are innate and biological.
Nevertheless, as we grow and learn from others around us, we begin to imitate different emotions and thus are shaped by the surrounding environment. According to the Social learning theory, we are incipient of the emotions modeled by people we come in contact with so we reproduce them, and this is also the time when we ‘acquire’ new emotions such as anxiety in precarious situations, and embarrassment when we do something out of the social norm.
Thus, the emotions we have are through a mixture of what our body is programmed with and also through the way were nurtured and other environmental factors.
Emotion: Chloe Chan
I think we learn the physical side of emotions from observing models but we have innate emotions. I think that the common idea that people who have never experienced sadness and therefore will never be sad is untrue. I believe all individuals will feel sad in some point in their life, but they either don’t know how to express it or they don’t recognize the feeling as sadness.
In more detail, emotions such as sadness are learned in the way that we can see emotions expressed physically and therefore we can imitate and express sadness ourselves. But in order to be able to express our emotions we must be able to relate it to the right physical expression. This is where the structure and wiring of the brain also comes in. Perhaps one brain maybe more able to relate to a certain emotion than another. Therefore, if someone has a growing tumor in an area of the brain that is supposedly responsible for a certain emotion, the emotion will become disordered.
In more detail, emotions such as sadness are learned in the way that we can see emotions expressed physically and therefore we can imitate and express sadness ourselves. But in order to be able to express our emotions we must be able to relate it to the right physical expression. This is where the structure and wiring of the brain also comes in. Perhaps one brain maybe more able to relate to a certain emotion than another. Therefore, if someone has a growing tumor in an area of the brain that is supposedly responsible for a certain emotion, the emotion will become disordered.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
WoK#4 - Emotion - Hey Tou Chiu
Responding to the ‘nature-nurture’ question, I believe that our emotions are both learned and in us from birth (innate). I think that emotions are within us when we are born, however when we express these emotions i.e in what situation, are learnt socially. I read Jason’s post, and I find myself agreeing with him. The fact that new born babies cry when they leave their mother’s womb is strong evidence to support how emotions are within us. The child has no environmental influence and yet, they show emotions right from the beginning of their life.
However, why do we show certain emotions in certain situations? Why do we smile when we are happy? Why do we cry when we are sad? We learn to do this through the environment we are in, and the people around us. In psychology, this is referred to as ‘Social Learning’. Albert Bandura claimed that our behaviour is learnt and that we first observe a model, and then we imitate them. So for example, a child may see her mother breaking her favourite plate and sees her mother starting to cry. The child would then understand that her mother is sad because she has lost something she treasures a lot. The child will therefore also cry in the same situation i.e when the child is unhappy or sad. This example shows how the child learns when to cry - when the child experiences something unpleasant or feels unhappy.
I think that the way we acquire emotions is something that cannot be explained by only one side of the ‘nature-nurture’ questions. Our emotions are related to the environment and are also in-born.
However, why do we show certain emotions in certain situations? Why do we smile when we are happy? Why do we cry when we are sad? We learn to do this through the environment we are in, and the people around us. In psychology, this is referred to as ‘Social Learning’. Albert Bandura claimed that our behaviour is learnt and that we first observe a model, and then we imitate them. So for example, a child may see her mother breaking her favourite plate and sees her mother starting to cry. The child would then understand that her mother is sad because she has lost something she treasures a lot. The child will therefore also cry in the same situation i.e when the child is unhappy or sad. This example shows how the child learns when to cry - when the child experiences something unpleasant or feels unhappy.
I think that the way we acquire emotions is something that cannot be explained by only one side of the ‘nature-nurture’ questions. Our emotions are related to the environment and are also in-born.
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