Università Roma Tre

The course will delve into the main theoretical models pertaining to the study of emotions and motivation. It will examine the similarities and differences between these constructs, and explore how emotions and motivation impact learning and the cognitive, social, and relational functioning of individuals. In addition, the course will investigate the negative consequences of certain emotion regulation strategies, inadequate emotional understanding, and factors that contribute to low motivational drive. Special attention will be given to situations involving work-related stress, mobbing, and burnout in diverse professional contexts. The course will also present strategies for promoting emotional competencies throughout an individual's lifespan.

The course will adopt a contemporary cognitive science perspective that emphasizes the connection between the mind and the body, proposing a redefinition of the relationship between emotions and other mental domains. It will give ample consideration to emerging theories that posit the inseparability of the cognitive and emotional aspects of the mind from the body and its environment, as part of the embodied cognition perspective. The course will address the following topics in particular: 1) embodied simulation and rejection of the brain as a "computer" metaphor; 2) classical theories of emotions (central, peripheral, and neurocultural theories); 3) emotion regulation; 4) cognitive evaluation and emotion regulation; 5) emotion as a tendency towards action; 6) reward mechanisms and the somatic marker theory; 7) mirror neurons and the social dimension of emotions; 8) motor contagion and empathy; 9) theories and processes of motivation; 10) motivation and the environment; 11) (de)motivational styles; and 12) strategies for promoting emotional competencies and developing motivation.

1) La Regolazione delle emozioni, a cura di Olimpia Matarazzo e Vanda Lucia Zammuner (Il Mulino, Seconda Edizione, 2015)
2) La motivazione, di Angelica Moè (Il Mulino, Nuova Edizione 2020)
3) Come funzionano le emozioni di Fausto Caruana e Marco Viola (Il Mulino, 2018)