Tag: emotions

SOC403 – Empathy: “It’s more than a feeling”

Abstract

Many people have heard the phrase, “take a walk in my shoes,” but what does this really mean? Is it possible to understand what someone is going through without sharing the same experiences? The answers to these questions may seem obvious, but it’s more complicated than you think! So this week, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of distinguishing empathy from sympathy, and defining the two. As the world is facing unprecedented times and world leaders are contracting COVID-19, perhaps a little bit of empathy is important… or is it not? Join us for another fun dip in social psychology and emotions!

Keywords

Empathy, sympathy, sociology of emotions, social psychology, COVID-19

Sources

  1. Check out Jamil Zaki and Kevin Ochsner’s chapter on empathy in Barrett et al.’s “Handbook of Emotions”
  2. Our hearts go out to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend over their recent miscarriage.
  3. Experts have pinpointed Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination event as the “super spreader” event that caused many White House officials to contract the virus.
    1. A New York Times article on how Trump is the leading cause of COVID-19 misinformation
  4. Three types of empathy… a short guide
  5. Has Trump learned anything from COVID-19? Absolutely not
  6. Some people do not think the President is being “empathetic”
  7. America Has A Super Spreader President 
  8. A fun article on the etiquette of Zoom.

SOC301 – Intro to Sociology of Emotions: Did you cry at Avengers: Endgame?

Abstract

We’re back y’all!! And we’re starting off our third season with a deep dive into the field of the Sociology of Emotions, a relatively young but uber fascinating subfield. What exactly are emotions? How are some emotions more social than others? And why is it that Ellen cried twice watching Avengers: Endgame, while Penn was frustrated and Omar was just a little sad? Tune in to learn more! And remember to give us a rating and subscribe if you haven’t already.

Keywords

Emotions, feelings, microsociology, social psychology

Sources

  • Peggy Thoits is seen as one of the founding scholars of the Sociology of Emotions
    • She argues in her article, “The Sociology of Emotions” (1989) that emotions are comprised of 4 elements:
    • 1.     Appraisals of a situational stimulus or context
    • 2.     Changes in physiological or bodily sensations
    • 3.     The free or inhibited display of expressive gestures
    • 4.     A cultural label applied to specific constellations of one or more of the first three components
      •  ***All 4 components do not need to be present for an emotion to be expressed or recognized by others***
  • Arlie Hochschild (who we’ll be covering in the very near future) is also a huge scholar of emotions, so check her out.
  • Peter Burke and Jan Stets in Identity Theory (2009) define emotions as, “emotions generally refer to the feelings individuals experience in situations” (p. 155).
  • Avengers: Endgame trailer for all of you living under a rock who haven’t seen it (sry ‘bout the spoilers!)
  • Amazon rainforest is burning!
  • Alaska is burning!
  • Disneyland’s recent opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a) Phreaking phenomenal and b) Causing decreased attendance at the entire park