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8: Emotions

  • Page ID
    298206
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    Have you ever been at a movie and let out a bellowing laugh and snort only to realize no one else is laughing? Have you ever gotten uncomfortable when someone cries in class or in a public place? Emotions are clearly personal because they often project what we’re feeling on the inside to those around us, whether we want it to show or not. Emotions are also interpersonal in that another person’s show of emotion usually triggers a reaction from us—perhaps support if the person is a close friend or awkwardness if the person is a stranger. Emotions are central to any interpersonal relationship, and it’s important to know what causes and influences emotions so we can better understand and express our own emotions and better respond to others when they display emotions. In this chapter, we will discuss the dimensions of emotions, perspectives on emotions, and ways to more effectively understand, express, and respond to emotions. We will also explore some contextual considerations, and reflect on the impact of our own emotional expression.

    Learning Objectives
    • What is the relationship between emotions and interpersonal communication?
    • How can we express and respond to emotions effectively?

    Successful students will be able to:

    • recognize dimensions of emotions
    • identify perspective on emotions
    • demonstrate skills of understanding, expressing and responding to emotions
    • explain how culture influences emotional expressions
    • recognize several ways emotional expression affects us, others and our relationships

    • 8.1: Influences on Emotional Expression
      Emotions are an important aspect in how we build our social interactions with people around us. Our interactions with others help to shape our own emotions as well as aspects of our personalities and moods. But what is the difference between these terms? We’ve defined emotion earlier in this chapter, but how do we know the distinction between what is an emotion, what is a mood, and what is part of our personality?
    • 8.2: Emotions in Relationships
      Emotions are deeply rooted within our relationships. In some relationships certain language is faux pas, whereas in another relationship the language is acceptable or even wanted. In this section we discuss the role of emotional intelligence, emotional awareness, emotional contagion, how we manage our emotions, and guidelines to communicating effectively in our relationships.
    • 8.3: Managing Emotions
      Choosing how we react to our emotions instead of allowing our emotions to overcome us is an important aspect of being a competent communicator. Being able to know what emotions are facilitative, or helpful, versus what emotions are debilitative, or harmful, allows us to be able to understand that our emotional reactions do not just impact ourselves and our internal dialogue but also the way in which we interact and engage with others around us.
    • 8.4: Guidelines for Communicating Emotions Effectively
      We’ve spent a majority of this chapter looking at the various ways in which we are effected and affected by our emotions. Emotions are powerful parts of our identities and there are many ways in which our emotions positively and negatively impact our life experiences. Being able to distinguish our emotions from one another, anticipating when debilitative emotions may arise, and recognizing the power we hold in order to change our emotional reaction based on our perceptions is the next step in im

    Contributors and Attributions

    • Sections: 9.0 – 9.3.1, 9.3.2.1, & 9.3.3.2: adapted from Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies; University of Minnesota; 2016; CC BY NC SA 4.0
    • Sections: 9.3.1.1, 9.3.2.0, & 9.3.2.2: Interpersonal Communication Abridged Textbook (I.C.A.T.); Central New Mexico Community College; 2019; CC BY NC SA 4.0
    • Sections: 9.3.1.1 & 9.3.1.3: adapted from WikiHow; CC BY NC SA 3.0
    • Sections: 9.3.3.1 & 9.3.3.3: adapted from Wikipedia; CC BY SA 4.0

    This page titled 8: Emotions is shared under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Pamela J. Gerber & Heidi Murphy (https://www.cnm.edu/) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.