Not just another aspect of pleasure: Functionality as a distinct component of emotions

Spörrle, Matthias und Alves de Paula Wesemann, Luciana (Juli 2009): Not just another aspect of pleasure: Functionality as a distinct component of emotions. 11th European Congress of Psychology, Oslo, Norwegen, 07. - 10. Juli 2009.

Abstract

According to Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT, Ellis, 1985; Ellis & DiGiuseppe, 1993) functionality is the central criterion when distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive emotions. Hereby, adaptive emotions signify appropriate responses to an eliciting event, whereas, maladaptive emotions signify inappropriate reactions. This research examines relevant characteristics of emotions (i.e., pleasure, arousal, duration, influence on life, and typicality) as potential predictors of functionality. In Study 1 (N= 96) using single item measures results indicated that pleasure and arousal had a significant predictive value on functionality, whereas the predictive value of the other dimensions was limited. Study 2 (N= 240) widely confirmed these results by using different psychometrically more reliable scales. In both studies all predictors explained less than 30% of the variance of functionality. Functionality should be regarded as a predominantly independent characteristic of emotions, which is partially associated with pleasure and arousal.

• Dokumententyp: Konferenzbeitrag (Poster)
• Keywords: irrational beliefs, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, REBT, emotion, pleasure, functionality, Irrationalität, Rational-Emotive-Verhaltenstherapie,REVT, Emotion, Freude, Funktionalität
• Fakultät: Psychologie und Pädagogik > Department Psychologie > Allgemeine Psychologie II > Tagungsbeiträge
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie
• Sprache: Englisch

Literaturliste

David, D., Schnur, J., & Belloiu, A. (2002). Another search for the "hot" cognitions: Appraisal, irrational beliefs, attributions, and their relation to emotion. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 20, 93-132.

Ellis, A. (1985). Expanding the ABCs of rational-emotive therapy. In M. J. Mahoney, & A. Freeman (Eds.), Cognition and psychotherapy (pp. 313-323). New York: Plenum Press.

Ellis, A., & DiGiuseppe, R. (1993). Are inappropriate or dysfunctional feelings in rational-emotive therapy qualitative or quantitative? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 17, 471-477.

Frijda, N. H., Ortony, A., Sonnemans, J., & Clore, G. L. (1992). The complexity of intensity. Issues concerning the structure of emotion intensity. In M. S. Clark (Ed.), Emotion, Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 13 (pp. 60-89). London: SAGE Publications.

Reisenzein, R. (1994). Pleasure-arousal theory and the intensity of emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 525-539.

Shaver, P., Schwartz, J., Kirson, D., & O´Connor, C. (1987). Emotion knowledge: Further exploration of a prototype approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1061-1086.

Zammuner, V. L. (1998). Concepts of emotion: "Emotionness", and dimensional ratings of Italian emotion words. Cognition and Emotion, 12, 243-272.