Opponent-process Theory 🎨
🧠Psych - 93 / 100
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This is the 93rd edition of this newsletter!
Let’s talk about Opponent-process Theory 🎨.
What is it?
Opponent-process theory is a psychological and neurological model that accounts for a wide range of behaviors, including color vision.
Examples -
Let’s say you receive an award. The moment you’re handed the certificate, you may feel a lot of joy and pleasure. However, an hour after getting the award, you may feel a bit sad. This secondary reaction is often deeper and longer lasting than the initial reaction, but it gradually disappears.
Another example: small children becoming irritable or crying on Christmas a few hours after opening presents. Solomon thought of this as the nervous system trying to return to a normal equilibrium. [2]
Where does it occur?
The opponent-process theory was first developed by Ewald Hering. He noted that there are color combinations that we never see, such as reddish-green or bluish-yellow.
Opponent-process theory suggests that color perception is controlled by the activity of three opponent systems.
In the theory, he postulated about three independent receptor types which all have opposing pairs: white and black, blue and yellow, and red and green.
Why do I need to know?
The opponent process theory may explain the emotional and motivational factors behind addiction. It is also possible that better process understanding could lead to improved outcomes for substance abuse treatment.
The opponent process theory may explain why it is so difficult to break a drug addiction.
References & Studies: -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opponent-process_theory
https://www.healthline.com/health/opponent-process-theory#richard-solomon
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