Psychophysiological Triad and Verbal System in the Study of Affect and Emotion

Abstract

In this paper, emotion is dealt with as a complex theoretical term, whose empirical referents derive from physiological, behavioral and subjective discourses (psychophysiological triad). It is argued that the meaning of emotion terms is not exhausted by any of these discourses (or ‘texts’), but by the complementary consideration of the three. In order to proceed psychophysiologically, any given text becomes context for the others, thus allowing for consensual validation of hypothetical constructs. The position delineated in this paper seeks to go beyond the usual correlational approach and is discussed in relation to other similar attempts. The pivotal position of language and the implications of content category (or meaning) analysis in the study of affect and emotion are illustrated.

Attention, Meaning, and Somatization: A Psychophysiological View

“…Some studies suggest that ceratin functional disorders may exhibit a communication pat tern closer to psychoneurosis, with verbal affect expression more intense than 'true' psychosomatic patients, that is, those in which organic alterations are found [Heerlein et al, 1984;Lolas and Heerlein, 1986a]. We have pointed out that communication properties of the dyad may serve as a differ entiating criterion [Lolas, 1989;, with the proviso that lan guage behavior -used for operationalizing alexithymia -is sensitive to contextual in fluences [Lolas, 1988;Lolas and Heerlein, 1986b;,…”

Normality and mental health: The ethical dimension

“…The psychiatrist or psychologist has sources of information such as the word (which roughly reflects interiority), manifest behavior (motor behavior), and physiological signals (chemical or electrical). This psychophysiological triad (Lolas, 1988b) is expanded with the consideration of personal history as biography (self or other), the material products of personal activity (writings, drawings, objects), and family history as suggesting abnormal predispositions or diathesis.…”

Communication of Emotional Meaning, Alexithymia, and Somatoform Disorders: A Proposal for a Diagnostic Axis

“…Bodily functions are regulated and self-regulated [Marken, 1988], Through ho meostatic principles like feedback, control, and behavior, regulation is achieved, some times through one, sometimes through the other mechanism, in a recursive fashion. The same events can be symbolic or physio logical [Lolas, 1988b], Dysfunctions can de rive from symbolic or mechanical failure. Communication o f emotional meaning al ludes to those aspects of the balance between symbol and mechanism reflected in verbal exchanges.…”