Psychological Theories
What if there was an explanation as to why people cry when something terrible happens. The majority of people do not understand why certain emotions occur under certain circumstances. However, these emotions can be explained through psychological theories that were developed in the past. Some of these theories include; the Cannon-Bard theory, the triarchic theory of intelligences, and the multiple intelligences theory. The paper will discuss these theories in explaining our emotions, the nature of our intelligence, and how students learn and acquire information.
Thalamic theory, or the Cannon-Bard theory, explains our emotions response by our body system when we suspect something wrong is about to happen. According to the theory, our body may respond to these changes by either sweating, experiencing muscle tension, or trembling. These emotions usually occur when the thalamus sends a message to the amygdala part of the brain. The amygdala refers to an oval-shaped structure in the brain whose primary function is emotional processing. The amygdala, in turn, generates a psychological reaction in response. During my childhood, my parents did not have a permanent job. My parents could not afford a mortgage for a big house that would accommodate our family.
Life was dull as there was no space for playing, and privacy was a problem since I had to share my room with my two siblings. Fortunately, my dad got a job with a manufacturing company, and he was thus able to meet all the family needs and save some little money. One weekend, my dad came home and informed us that we were to move out to another home. At first, I thought we were moving to a similar house. However, I was surprised to realize that we were moving to a larger apartment than the one we lived before. The new apartment had room space for everyone, such that we would not have to share rooms with my siblings. I felt happy as I unpacked the boxes with personal items in my room. My eyes were full of tears, and my chest was tight that, for a moment, I found it difficult to breathe.
The triarchic theory explains people’s intellect in terms of three different components as opposed to a particular ability. These components include analytical skills, contextual skills, and creativity. Intelligence theories before the introduction of the triarchic theory viewed intelligence from a general context. According to Sternberg, a person’s knowledge is determined by one’s adaptation to the varying environment. Analytical intelligence is the most common form of intelligence, which refers to being book smart. For example, in my case, may analytical intelligence has enabled me to score high on mathematical tests. Throughout my school life have identified, evaluated, and analyzed materials that have helped me to solve mathematical problems in class.
The multiple intelligences theory explains the various ways in which a student can gain information. It differentiates intelligence into specific ‘modalities.’ Therefore, according to the multiple intelligences theory, a person’s intelligence cannot be grouped into a single general ability. The approach helps to appreciate nature by showing the differences in human capability. At first, I thought we were all blessed with the same abilities and that we acquired information in a standard way. I always wondered why I understood most of the concepts in class while some of the students could not. I wondered why the teachers used different methods of teaching instead of adopting a standard approach to teaching. I later came to learn through the multiple intelligences theory that people have different ways of understanding and acquiring information. In my case, I had logical-mathematics intelligence that enabled me to solve problems. Through logical-mathematics, I was able to solve complex computations that others could not.
As seen from the above discussion, different psychological theories explain our emotions. The thalamic theory describes how our body responds to different circumstances by creating different emotions. The feeling may be positive or negative. The triarchic theory explains people’s intelligence in terms of three different components. These components include analytical, creativity, and contextual skills. Finally, multiple intelligences explain various ways of gaining knowledge. It argues that each has a specific form of learning.