Introduction

This lesson was created using material from General Psychology 20, Student Module Booklet, Alberta Distance Learning Centre.

children on a beach

Overview

Emotions make the living, breathing organism we call “human beings” into the loving, compassionate, fiery creatures that we are. Emotions energize our behaviour and our relationships with others. Emotions can also take negative turns that can make people angry, jealous, violent, and generally put them under tremendous stress. This lesson will study the sweeping range of emotions, how we can control their dark side, and how we can make the most of their positive qualities.

People live, work, play, and help each other in groups. They want not only to further their own goals, but they want to help their fellow human beings. Fortunately, this is true most of the time. Cooperation means progress for one and all. Occasionally, serious problems cloud our relationships. Sometimes people set out to harm others intentionally or to damage and destroy their property.

What causes criminal behaviour? Does it just happen to the “lower elements” of our society? Why might one member of a family be criminally deviant and the others be law-abiding citizens? Is the crime rate increasing? Are criminals becoming more vicious in their crimes? Can criminal intent be predicted? These questions are part of our research of criminal behaviour.