Emotions

Emotions are subjective feelings related to moodMood and affect. Emotions are biologically basic, present at birth, and universally experienced, but can be shaped by culture and learning. A competing theory suggests that emotions emerge when people make meaning out of sensory input and from their environment using knowledge and prior experience. Neuronal models have been implicated in the automatic and voluntary components of emotion regulation. Emotion regulation refers to the strength of an emotion being amplified, attenuated, or maintained. Affect is the observable behavior seen in the expression of emotion. Mood is frequently the reported emotional state. Mood is evaluated through the clinical interview though inquiry and observation. Emotions are a defining characteristic of most psychiatric disorders, in particular anxiety, depression, euphoria, fear, apathy, and anger.