Description
TitleUnderstanding the emotion of disgust: disgust and psychopathology
Date Created2021
Other Date2021-05 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (ix, 37 pages) : illustrations
DescriptionEarly research on the emotion of disgust is centered on disgust emanating from the revulsion and withdrawal of oral consumption of contaminated objects (Angyal, 1941; Darwin 1872/1998). Recent studies, however, indicate that the emotion of disgust is far more expansive and can be separated into an action pattern (retraction of the upper lip, nose wrinkle, tongue extension) and a cognition (Ekman, 1992; Rozin, Haidt, & McCauley, 2010). This allows for the emotion of disgust to be studied using a wide range of stimuli. Using disgust, a highly visceral and salient emotion, this study aims to determine if there is a pattern of multiple emotions associated with different disgust stimuli. Additionally, this study examines the relationship between the emotion of disgust and psychopathology (obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias). 122 undergraduate students were presented with 20 pictures of disgust inducing stimuli comprised of four categories (Bugs, Mutilation, Dirt, and Body Products). Participants were asked to rate each picture on a 5-point scale on each of five emotions including disgust, fear, anger, sadness, and happiness. Subjects were also tasked with filling out the Fear Survey Schedule II (FSS-II) and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The results indicate a presence of multiple emotions in all four disgust picture categories. Additionally, results provide evidence to link phobias with subjects that had high scores of disgust and fear suggesting a relationship between these two emotions in specific phobia categories. This underscores the clinical importance of assessing and understanding patient emotions in order to adequately address their phobias. In addition, the findings support the need to consider, measure, and understand that multiple emotions may be a common occurrence in everyday situations.
NotePsy.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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