Emotional intensity rises to a maximum set by function importance when deterrents are unknown.
Evidence
How do deterrents affect emotional intensity? Theoretically, the maximum potential intensity of an emotion is determined by the importance of attaining the function of that emotion. When the level of deterrence is unknown, emotional intensity should rise to this maximum level as set by the importance of achieving the function of the emotion. A high level of intensity prepares a person for as yet unknown deterrents to the emotion—reasons for not engaging in the behavior urged by the emotion. The level of deterrence is likely to be unknown in situations where a person might know that something can be done to achieve the function of the emotion, but they do not know what deterrents might arise or what their magnitudes might be. — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 31
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines what a ‘deterrent’ operationally means here: difficulty of completing a behavior fulfilling the emotion’s function.
- XREF: connects to: Emotional intensity follows an inverted-U curve as deterrents grow — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 562; Emotional intensity is capped by the subjective importance of the emotion’s function. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 589; Emotional intensity rises then falls as deterrents increase. — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 26 (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Motivational intensity rises and falls nonlinearly with task difficulty.
#complicates(0.75) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 558 - Unforeseeable escalation risk alone can deter aggression even among cautious rational actors.
#qualifies(0.74) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 430 - Low-probability high-consequence risks inflate fear and enable extreme policies
#expands(0.73) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2115 - Uncertain, unfamiliar, low-power settings maximize perceived outgroup threat.
#corroborates(0.72) — Walter G. Stephan, Oscar Ybarra, Kimberly Rios Morrison, Intergroup Threat Theory, 270