Describe the role of emotions in interpersonal communication and Essay

Describe the role of emotions in interpersonal communication and analyse their implications for workplace interactions - Essay Example When people communicate by use of emotions, they call attention to themselves and provide information to others that may inform how their reaction should be. Often, people learn through socialization how to display and read emotions. However, some people are undoubtedly better in reading emotions than others (Payne & Cooper, 2001, p. 28). Emotions are expressed in two forms; primary emotions and secondary emotions. Primary emotions are experienced for a short time. The reaction is as a result of an outside stimulus and experienced similarly across cultures. Such emotions include joy, anger, fear, distress, disgust and surprise. Secondary emotions do not tend to be innate as primary emotions. They always have a corresponding facial expression that makes them to be recognized by other people. The secondary emotions are processed by a different part of the brain that encompasses higher order thinking. They are not reflexive and include guilt, shame, pride, love, embarrassment, envy, jealousy and pride. They develop over time and take long to fade away. They are regarded as interpersonal since they are experienced many times in relation to real or imagined others. Consequently, they tend to be more influenced by thoughts that can be managed. It means that people can become competent communicators through becoming aware of how they experience and express their secondary emotions. There is more cultural variation in the expression and meaning of secondary emotions hence they are still universal for they are experienced by all cultures (Payne & Cooper, 2001, p. 30). Emotions are shaped by perceptions, social experiences, physiology and language. These elements interact continuously to come up with people’s experience of emotions. Theories of emotions are related to social influences, perceptional influences and