Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett: How Emotions Are Made

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The “classical” model of emotions which emphasizes the innate, universal (and even primitive) nature of emotions has been the basis for psychoeducation provided by clinicians to clients about the nature of their emotional experiences. However, there is a very large body of evidence to suggest that emotions are, in fact, constructed concepts that are “wired-in” by culture and reflect consensus-based social realism rather than innate processes. Acclaimed author, professor,  and neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett joins us for an absolutely fascinating discussion of her constructed model of emotions including:  

• an overview of the classical model of emotions
• an in-depth review of Dr. Feldman Barrett’s constructed model of emotions
• myths about the classical model of emotions that are relevant for clinicians & mental health consumers
• the important role psychotherapy plays in constructing emotion concepts 
• a consideration of the neurobiological mechanics around unconscious processes and actual (vs. theorized) mechanisms of change in psychotherapy
• conceptualizing psychopathology and therapeutic intervention from the lens of the constructed model of emotions
• a neurobiological explanation for the experience of “knowing” one thing, but “feeling” another with implications for therapeutic interventions.         

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, is among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Harvard University.  In addition to the books Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain and How Emotions are Made, Dr. Barrett has published over 240 peer-reviewed, scientific papers appearing in Science, Nature Neuroscience, and other top journals in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, as well as six academic volumes published by Guilford Press. She has also given a popular TED talk with nearly 6 million views. Dr. Barrett received a National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award for her revolutionary research on emotion in the brain. She also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019.  She is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada.

https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/