Well-Being: Foundations of Hedonic Psychology

14. Disturbances in Emotion

14 Disturbances in Emotion Howard Berenbaum) Chitra Raghavan) Huynh-Nhu Le) Laura Vernon) and Jose Gomez As researchers who study psychopathology and emotion , Ive provide a scientific perspective on suffering and Ivett-being. We describe the factors that contribute to emotional disturbances and point out that these factors range from the molecular to the societal. We show that emotional disturbances can best be understood by attending to interactions between different etiological factors. These disturbances, and the psychopathological conditions Ivith which they are associated , account for enormous human suffering. We describe two Ivays in which these disturbances can contribute to human suffering-by influencing the well-being ofthose Ivith the disturbances, and by influencing the Ivell-being of others around them. Finally , we summarize what the research on psychopathology and emotion can tell us about well-being in all individuals, not just those Ivith psychiatric disturbance . THE GOAL OF THIS chapter is to describe suffering and well-being from the point of view of researchers who study psychopathology and emotion . Research on psychopathology is directly relevant to understanding the well-being of the approximately 50 percent of the general population who will have a psychiatric disturbance at some point in their life (Kessler et a!. 1994). As we discuss in the last section of this chapter, psychopathology research is also relevant to understanding well-being in individuals who will not themselves have diagnosable psychiatric disturbance . We emphasize emotional disturbances, such as excesses in sadness and deficits in pleasure, rather than traditional diagnostic categories (or what many would call disorders or syndromes), such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. 1 There are several reasons for focusing on emotional disturbances rather than traditional diagnostic categories. Almost all disturbances in emotion, such as excessive sadness, are common to a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. Also, some forms of emotional disturbance, such as high levels of alexithymia (described later in this chapter), are not psychiatric disorders but are nonetheless associated with suffering. Finally, by focusing on emotional disturbances, the contents of this chapter are more pertinent to most of the other chapters in this volume (see Berridge; Frijda; Higgins, Grant, and Shah; Ito and Caccioppo; Larsen and Fredrickson; Kubovy; Morris; Sapolsky) than they would be if we focused on diagnostic categories. We have partitioned emotional disturbances into three broad types: excesses, deficits, and disconnections . We describe the etiological factors that contribute to each of these types of disturbance. We demonstrate that the factors that contribute to these disturbances range from the molecular to the societal. We also point out that emotional disturbances can be best understood by attending to interactions between different etiological factors. For example, although excesses in sadness are influenced by trauma and other forms of stress, genes, and neurotransmitters, it is the interactions between these etiological factors that ultimately determine who will develop excessive levels of sadness . The evidence we review concerning the etiology of emotional disturbances comes from two sources. One source of evidence is the body of literature that has examined specific emotional disturbances, such as pleasure deficits. Some of this research has been conducted in the context of research on specific psychiatric disorders. For example, much of the research on pleasure deficits has been conducted in the context of research on schizophrenia and/or major depressive disorder. Other research examining emotional excesses, deficits, and disconnections has been conducted in the context of psychopathology research, but has not been tied to specific psychiatric disorders. Finally, some of what we know about emotional disturbances can be inferred from research on nonpsychiatric populations. For 268 Well-Being example, research on basic psychological processes , such as the experience of pleasure, can inform our understanding of emotional disturbances , such as disturbances in the ability to experience pleasure. The second source of information concerning the etiology of emotional disturbances comes from research that did not specifically measure emotional disturbance but rather examined psychiatric disorders that are strongly associated with specific emotional disturbances . For example, research on major depressive disorder can be used to draw inferences about excessive sadness.' We devote considerable attention to excesses in sadness, fear, and worry and to deficits in pleasure. After describing all of the different types of disturbance , and the factors that contribute to them, we briefly discuss some of the ways in which these disturbances contribute to human suffering by influencing the well-being of those with the disturbances as well as the well-being of others around them. Finally, we discuss what research on psychopathology and emotion can...