luhmann and the sociology of emotions
TRANSCRIPT
Luhmann and the Sociology
of Emotions
Mauricio SalgadoPhD
Santiago – November 2014
Seminar
Niklas Luhmann: 30 años de Sistemas Sociales
Is Luhmann’s systems theory alexithymic?
Alexithymia describes a series of psycho-behavioural characteristics that are
expressed in the etymology of the word itself: from the Greek a- (lack), lexis-
(word) and thymos- (mood, feeling or emotion), alexithymia means literally
“without words for emotions”. The main characteristics of alexithymia can be
summarized (…) as: difficulty in identifying and describing feelings; difficulty
in distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional
arousal (…); constricted imaginative processes (…); and an externally
oriented cognitive style.
Luhmann’s Social Systems
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This Presentation
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There are two different thesis in Luhmann’s account of emotions
a. Emotions are tied to expectations Uncontroversial and partially correct
b. Emotions are homogeneous and internal to psychic life Controversial and
flawed
Emotions threshold phenomena among cognition, society and biology: Co-
evolution
From cognitive to social systems: Beliefs Emotions Action
From social to organic systems: Social evolution Emotions Facial
expression
My main point
Emotions in Social Systems
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Emotions represent “a sphere of problems that until now have proved quite
difficult for sociology” (1995, p. 274)
Emotions in Social Systems
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1. Emotions are understood in the process of adaptation to fulfilment or
disappointment of claims by the psychic system
2. Claims are a sub-category of expectation, the former being the form in which a
system brings the indeterminable environment into a form that can be used
operatively
3. A claim is a condensed form of expectation in which self-commitment is increased,
and with it vulnerability
4. Emotions function as immune system: Emotions are concerned with grasping-as-
signal the noise that would otherwise disrupt the ongoing operations of the psychic
system
Emotions in Social Systems
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First (uncontroversial) thesis: Emotions are tied to expectations
First corollary: Emotions are tied to second order expectations
In some system of interaction X, when disappointment happens, Alter is entitled by
Ego to experience the right emotion A (and not other emotion)
1. “Emotions are not representations that refer to the environment but internal
adaptations to internal problem situations in the psychic system that concern the
ongoing production of the system’s elements by the system’s elements” (1995, p.
274)
2. Only the cognitive system draws the meaningful distinctions that supposedly give
rise to or individuate particular emotions in their specificity
3. “The well-known variety of distinct emotions comes about only secondarily, only
through cognitive and linguistic interpretation” (1995, p. 275)
Emotions in Social Systems
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Second (controversial) thesis: Emotions are unitary and internal
activations
Second (flawed) corollary: Emotions are, fundamentally, all the
sameIn some system of interaction X, when disappointment happens, emotions as different
as joy and rage are in fact identical but for different appraisals laid on the same
arousal
Third (flawed) corollary: Emotions are epiphenomenal
Emotions are residual, accidental elements in the social order
Anger, Cartesian indignation, guilt, resentment, gratitude
Emotions are not homogeneous
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Emotions can be triggered by beliefs about actions
Hatred, contempt, shame
Emotions can be triggered by beliefs about character
Anger, resentment
Emotions can be based on interactions
Envy
Emotions can be based on comparisons
Hypothesis
1. Core disgust and socio-moral disgust elicit different emotions
2. Time as well as gender are likely to differentially affect their intensity (via a
greater reliance of socio-moral disgust on cognitive appraisal)
Experimental Procedure
Participants were shown photographs of core and socio-moral disgust elicitors and
asked to provide a wide ranging rating of their emotional response to each at 3
time points
Results
• Each elicitor generated a significantly different emotional response.
• The disgust response to core elicitors weakened over time whereas socio-
moral responses intensified.
• Males and females showed similar levels of disgust to socio-moral elicitors, but
females showed higher levels to core elicitors.
Emotions are not homogeneous
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Is Disgust a Homogeneous Emotion? (Simpson et al.,
2006, M&E)
EMOTIONS
COGNITION SOCIETY
BIOLOGY
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Emotions as Structural Coupling
Beliefs Emotions Action
Social Evolution Emotions
Facial Features
From Cognitive to Social Systems
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Emotions and Social Action
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Beliefs can generate emotions that have consequences for
behaviour
[ Ego ]
Beliefs Emotions Action
[ Alter ]
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that I have to be treated fairly
[ Alter ] [ Ego ]
Ego’s Belief:
Alter imposed an unjust harm on Ego
Ego’s Emotion:
Ego feels anger towards Alter
Ego’s Action Tendency:
Cause the object of the emotion to
suffer
Anger
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that others have to be treated fairly
[ Alter ] [ Ego ]
Witness’ Belief:
Alter imposed an unjust harm on Ego
in the presence of some witness
Witness’ Emotion:
Witness feels ‘Cartesian indignation’
towards Alter
Witness’Action Tendency:
Cause the object of the emotion to
suffer
Cartesian Indignation[ Witness ]
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that others have to be treated fairly
[ Ego ]
Ego’s Belief:
Alter has suffered unmerited distress
Ego’s Emotion:
Ego feels pity towards Alter
Ego’s Action Tendency:
Console or alleviate the distress of
Alter
Pity
[ Alter ]
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that we have to comply with some obligation or standard
[ Alter ]
[ Ego ]
Ego’s Belief:
Alter has violated some moral
boundary
Ego’s Emotion:
Ego feels disgust towards Alter
Ego’s Action Tendency:
Ostracised; avoid
Disgust
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that we have to comply with some obligation or standard
[ Alter ]
[ Ego ]
Ego’s Belief:
Alter is weak or inferior
Ego’s Emotion:
Ego feels contempt towards Alter
Ego’s Action Tendency:
Ostracised; avoid
Contempt
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that we have to comply with some obligation or standard
[ Alter ]
[ Ego ]
Alter’s Belief:
Ego feels contempt towards Alter
Alter’s Emotion:
Alter feels shame
Alter’s Action Tendency:
Run away; disappear; commit suicide
Shame
Emotions and Social Action
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Claim that we have to comply with some obligation or standard
[ Alter ]
[ Ego ]
Alter’s Belief:
Alter has behaved unjustly or
immorally
Alter’s Emotion:
Alter feels guilt
Alter’s Action Tendency:
Confess; make repairs; hurt oneself
Guilt
Emotions and Norms
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Emotions can generate proto-rights
Alter
Ego
Good Wrong
ContemptDisgustCartesian indignationForgiveness
GuiltShameSelf-humiliation
SatisfactionPrideContentment
GratitudeRecognitionCartesian love
Emotions and Contingency
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Emotions and Contingency
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Axiom: In the social world, everything is neither necessary nor
impossible“Every complex state of affairs is based on a selection of relations among its
elements, which it uses to constitute and maintain itself. The selection
positions and qualifies the elements, although other relations would have
been possible. We borrow the tradition-laden term ‘contingency’ to designate
this ‘also being possible otherwise’. It alludes, too, to the possibility of failing
to achieve the best possible formation”
Niklas Luhmann, Social Sistems, p. 25
Emotions and Contingency
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First corollary: Emotions are tied to second order expectations
In some system of interaction X, when disappointment happens, Alter is entitled by
Ego to experience the right emotion A (and not other emotion)
Restriction
Since second order expectations can also be disappointed, then the First corollary has
to be qualified. Thus,
In some system of interaction X, when disappointment happens, despite Alter being
entitled by Ego to experience the right emotion A, Alter can indeed experience a
different emotion or no emotion at all.
First corollary (qualified): Emotions are tied to second order
expectations
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25
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Emotions and Contingency
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1. Childhood emotional neglect or maltreatment
2. Obedience to authority
3. Ideology
4. Different moral intuitions / foundations: Harm, Fairness, Ingroup, Authority, Purity
5. In-group / out-group relationships – Parochial Altruism
Social factors that might erode or qualify emotional responses
1. Psychopaths: Low affective empathy
2. Autism: Low cognitive empathy
3. Genes, hormones, brain damage
Biological factors that might erode emotional responses
Emotions and Contingency
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• Infidelity: Feeling pride instead of shame or regret
• Institutional cruelty against others: Feeling satisfaction or no emotion instead of pity
or Cartesian indignation
Meta-emotions (disappointments of disappointments):
Awkwardness
• Intimacy: Satisfaction vs. Envy
• Same sex-marriage: Contempt vs. Recognition
• Authenticity: Communicate the right emotion
Emotional Divergences and Social Conflict
From Social to Organic Systems
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Faces and Emotions
AngryAshamed
ThankfulJealous
Faces and Emotions
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1. Faces evolved in favor of helping us distinguish among individuals
2. Stretches of DNA associated with facial features are more diverse than the overall
genome
3. Evidence of selective pressure at the genetic level
High variance among facial features in humans
1. Social cognition: an ability to distinguish identity and glean information from faces
2. Facial features very important in person perception – Salient in first impressions
3. People automatically evaluate faces on trait dimensions: Righteousness and
Dominance
4. Social evolution may have changed the very shape of our faces
Gene-Culture Co-evolution
Faces and Emotions
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“(…) an affect like shame recruits the sensitivities of a face
engorged with the blood of a blush. The face of the human
being, as Darwin (1872) made clear, is a hyper-sensitive and
finely muscled surface, developed through evolution and
recruited to the task of the experience and expression of
affects.”
Stenner 2004, p. 170
Concluding Remarks
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Concluding Remarks
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There are two different thesis in Luhmann’s account of emotions
a. Emotions are tied to expectations
b. Emotions are homogeneous and internal to psychic life
Regarding the second thesis, Luhmann’s sociology is alexithymic. What is
the treatment to this theoretical condition? Put the second thesis in the
garbage bin!
This allows Luhmann’s theory to be in contact with the best available science
of emotions
What does Luhmann’s sociology of emotions has to say about ‘positive
emotions’ (gratitude, satisfaction, pride)?
My main point
Luhmann and the Sociology
of Emotions
Mauricio SalgadoPhD
Santiago – November 2014
Seminar
Niklas Luhmann: 30 años de Sistemas Sociales