MRCPsych on the Go: Revision Essentials

22. Why Does Your Heart Race Before You Feel Afraid: James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Aalap Asurlekar Season 1 Episode 22

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0:00 | 16:08

Have you ever noticed your body reacting before your mind catches up? 

In this episode, we explore what emotions actually are, breaking down the physiological, cognitive, behavioural and subjective components of emotional experience. We then examine the James-Lange theory, one of psychology's most counterintuitive proposals.

Topics include the four components of emotion, the famous bear in the woods thought experiment, the facial feedback hypothesis, evidence for and against the James-Lange theory, and its clinical relevance to panic disorder, behavioural activation and body-based trauma therapies.

Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychology students and anyone curious about the science of feeling. 

Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.8.

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