The Schachter-single theory

The Cannon-Bard theory

The James-Lang theory

Theories of Emotion

Fundamental emotion types and their combinations

From the figure above the following inferences can be made. Two emotion combinations are formed from primary emotions. Emotions nearer one another in the circle are more closely related. Emotions opposite to each other are conceptually opposite. Comment on Pluthik’s emotion theory human emotions are much more than eight types. These eight types of emotions are not equally important across all cultures.

Lang was a Danish physiologist who proposed a theory of emotion. His theory states that emotional experience is a reaction to instinctive bodily events that occur as a response to some situation or event in the environment. We feel sorry because we cry. We feel angry because we strike. We feel afraid because we tremble. James and Lang proposed that human beings experience emotions as a result of physiological changes that produce specific sensations. The brain interprets the sensations as particular kinds of emotional experiences.

The theory states that both physiological and emotional arousals are produced simultaneously by the same nerve impulse. According to this theory:

Emotion-inducing stimulus is perceived.

The thalamus is the initial site of the emotional response.

Then the thalamus sends a signal to the autonomic nervous system and communicates a message to the cerebral cortex regarding the nature of the emotion being experienced. In this case different emotions do not have unique physiological patterns associated with them.

Comment: recent research evidences suggest that it is thehypothalamus and the limbic system and not the thalamus that play a major role in emotional experiences.

The theory proposes that a non-specific kind of physiological arousal and the meaning we attach to environmental cues determine emotions jointly. The theory emphasizes that we identify the type of emotion we are experiencing by observing our environment and comparing ourselves with others.

Comment: some research findings suggest that physiologicalarousal may or may not always account for an individual’s emotional state. For example: some drugs invariably produce depression as a side effect no matter what the nature of the situation is. However, the theory indicated the necessity of appraising our surroundings in case the source for physiological arousal is not clearly understood.

General conclusion on theories of emotion: emotions are complex phenomena. No single theory has been able to fully explain all facets of emotional experiences.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-04