Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Essay Example for Free

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Essay One day my sister was running for her class she was late for and had a quiz in. She bumped into one of her colleagues. Her heart started pumping very fast, her body trembling and she was stuttering while talking to him.She thought she felt that way because she liked him as no one has ever made her adrenaline rush to that extent. This behavior is related to the two-factor theory of emotion, which is the idea that a person first experiences physiological arousal and then seeks an appropriate explanation for it, this two-step self-perception process results in an emotional experience. Sometimes, the most reasonable explanation is not the right one, and people end up making mistaken conclusions about what caused them to feel the way they did and this is called misattribution of arousal. Schachter’s theory states that because our physical states are difficult to label on their own,we use information in the situation to help us make an attribution about why we feel aroused. My sister thought that she had a big crush on the guy as an explanation for the physiological arousal she experienced. According to the theory, her interpretation to the emotional experience she went through was wrong; she was actually running to a class she’s late for and afraid of missing the quiz. She was already nervous due to these reasons and therefore she experienced this physiological arousal. However, when she felt that way, she mistakenly related it to the guy she met, which is considered a misattribution of arousal situation. Maybe if she met him in a normal situation, she can judge clearly whether her conclusion was right or not.