All emotions have specific situations that elicit them and specific actions that they motivate us to perform (Linehan, 2015). In fact, the word “emotion” has the word “motion” in it, and its Latin root is “emoveo,” which means to move out of (Wiktionary, 2023). The DBT Skills Training Manual nicely describes the eliciting situations and behavioral tendencies of a variety of emotions (Linehan, 2015).
See Table 1 for a summary of several emotions. Specifically, happiness occurs when we anticipate or experience positive outcomes, and it motivates us to pursue and experience more positive outcomes (or share them with others). Sadness and depression occur when we lose something important to us (a job or a loved one), and they motivate us to withdraw and recuperate. Disgust occurs in response to toxins or morally reprehensible actions, and it makes us want to expel the toxins (which is why the facial expression for disgust is opening the mouth like we’re going to vomit) or to change, destroy, or distance ourselves from the source of disgust.
Anger occurs when a goal is obstructed or an injustice is experienced, and it motivates us to resist or fight the obstruction (to obtain the goal) or right the injustice. Fear and anxiety occur when we perceive danger (imminent danger for fear and possible future danger for anxiety), and they motivate us to protect ourselves (flee if we can, freeze or hide to avoid detection, and fight as a last resort to deter the threat; Perusini & Fanselow, 2015).
Jealousy and envy occur when we want something we don’t have or can’t have, but jealousy occurs when that “something” is socially intimate (e.g., someone you are romantically interested in is flirting with someone else), and envy occurs when that “something” is material or related to social status (e.g., someone has a car you want; someone gets chosen for a desirable work project instead of you). Jealousy and envy both motivate us to obtain the things we want.
Guilt and shame are also similar to each other; they occur when we have violated our moral........