Describing Emotion

We have been examining line as a way to define space and describe emotion. There is an additional function that line can serve in artistic expression—allowing the artist to represent the third dimension on a flat surface. Depth on a flat surface can be achieved through the use of two systems, atmospheric perspective and linear perspective. 

PRACTICE 1 IDENTIFYING WORDS THAT DESCRIBE EMOTIONS... 

Practice 1 Identifying Words That Describe Emotions... 

There are many terms to describe emotions, and to separate than and relate them to one another has been the subject of much psychological research. Plutchik (2001) has presented one model of emotional relationships in the form of a three-dimensional top-like circumplex with eight spokes showing diametrically opposite emotions (Figure 6.22.3). Emotions adjacent to each other are related, and those farther apart are not. In the third dimension are the degrees of emotional... 

The aroma of fmit, the taste of candy, and the texture of bread are examples of flavor perception. In each case, physical and chemical stmctures ia these foods stimulate receptors ia the nose and mouth. Impulses from these receptors are then processed iato perceptions of flavor by the brain. Attention, emotion, memory, cognition, and other brain functions combine with these perceptions to cause behavior, eg, a sense of pleasure, a memory, an idea, a fantasy, a purchase. These are psychological processes and as such have all the complexities of the human mind. Flavor characterization attempts to define what causes flavor and to determine if human response to flavor can be predicted. The ways ia which simple flavor active substances, flavorants, produce perceptions are described both ia terms of the physiology, ie, transduction, and psychophysics, ie, dose-response relationships, of flavor (1,2). Progress has been made ia understanding how perceptions of simple flavorants are processed iato hedonic behavior, ie, degree of liking, or concept formation, eg, crispy or umami (savory) (3,4). However, it is unclear how complex mixtures of flavorants are perceived or what behavior they cause. Flavor characterization involves the chemical measurement of iadividual flavorants and the use of sensory tests to determine their impact on behavior. 

The first three characteristics are considered to be the positive symptoms of the disorder. The fourth are described as negative symptoms although they can be divided into true negative symptoms, i.e. diminished emotions and speech and reactive ones, i.e. social apathy and withdrawal brought on by the positive symptoms. Schizophrenics do not have a split personality. Normally their reaction to the positive symptoms is to withdraw quietly but occasionally they will react violently to the voices they hear and shout at them. 

Paracelsus lived during the Renaissance. His sober spirit of scientific observation and critical reason were accompanied by emotional turbulence and a volcanic temperament. He remains both a mystery and an object of nostalgia. Paracelsus is today celebrated as the first modem medical scientist. Paracelsus early life, achievements and latter years are described... 

In the UK the annual cost of AD is estimated at 5.5bn (extrapolated from Alloul et al., 1998). As well as these economic costs there are enormous human costs, both for the individual who has the disease and for their family and/or carers who have to cope with the gradual and relentless disintegration of cognition and personality. Table 13.2 summarises the typical symptomatology and progression of the disorder. Typically, the disorder involves an initial blunting of emotional responses, which is sometimes described as a coarsening of affect this is soon followed by decrements in... 

Pain is an unpleasant, subjective, sensory, and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. 

One area of research related to abuse or neglect has to do with how well a person fits within his or her social environment. One researcher, Marsha Linehan (1993), has talked about how a poor fit with the social environment (viz., not fitting into the family, school life, or other important social networks) may cause psychiatric problems if the poorness of fit causes the person to feel like an outsider or to feel constandy invalidated or put down. Many of my clients have told me that they have not felt part of their families or that they did not fit well into society in general, or have described themselves as black sheep. Abuse and neglect lead to an invalidating environment, but so can mismatches of personalities within families or mismatches of behavioral patterns with social norms. Furthermore, there is evidence that the way emotion is expressed in families can be associated with a poorness of fit that can influence the course of drug problems. 

Some clinicians and researchers have noted that drug problems seem inextricably linked to problems with emotions. Certainly, many studies have found evidence for links between emotions, especially extreme emotional experiences, and drug abuse, and such links are frequently described in the personal stories told by drug users. However, the relationship between emotions and drug use is... 

---