The Psychology Book

324

EMOTION IS AN

E S S E N T I A L L Y

UNCONSCIOUS

P R O C E S S

N I C O F R I J D A ( 1 9 2 7 – )

O

ur emotions and feelings

are idiosyncratic; they seem

to be purely subjective, and

the mysticism surrounding them

may explain why the psychology of

emotion has advanced so slowly.

But during the last 30 years, this

IN CONTEXT

APPROACH

Psychology of emotion

BEFORE

1872 Biologist Charles Darwin

publishes the first scientific

study of human emotions

in The Expression of the

Emotions in Man and Animals.

Late 1800s William James

and Danish physiologist

Carl Lange propose the

James–Lange theory of

emotion: that emotions are

the result of bodily changes,

and not the cause of them.

1929 Physiologists Walter

Cannon and Philip Bard say

we experience physiological

arousal and emotion at the

same time, in the Bard–

Cannon theory.

AFTER

1991 In Emotion and

Adaptation, psychologist

Richard Lazarus says a thought

must precede any emotion or

physiological arousal.

Feelings are how we interpret

the emotions we experience.

Emotions are motivating

forces, preparing us for action.

They are spontaneous

biological processes that

are out of our control.

They can be understood by

others through spontaneous

physical expression,

such as laughter.

We are consciously aware of

our feelings and can make

decisions based on them.

As we have control of our

feelings, others cannot

guess at our feelings

through our behavior.

Emotion is an essentially unconscious process.

situation has changed, as scientific

findings regarding the “site” of

emotions have led to renewed

interest. Evolutionary psychologists

have also posed questions. What is

the purpose of emotions? How have

they helped us survive and thrive?