passing cloud falling upon the closed eyelids.
The order of the entire event resulting in an emotion is as follows: (1) Something
is known; some object enters consciousness coming either from immediate
perception or through memory or imagination. This fact, or thing known, must
be of such nature that it will, (2) set up deep-seated and characteristic organic
response; (3) the feeling accompanying and caused by these physiological
reactions constitutes the emotion. For example, we may be passing along the
street in a perfectly calm and equable state of mind, when we come upon a
teamster who is brutally beating an exhausted horse because it is unable to draw
an overloaded wagon up a slippery incline. The facts grasped as we take in the
situation constitute the first element in an emotional response developing in our
consciousness. But instantly our muscles begin to grow tense, the heart beat and
breath quicken, the face takes on a different expression, the hands clench—the
entire organism is reacting to the disturbing situation; the second factor in the
rising emotion, the physiological response, thus appears. Along with our
apprehension of the cruelty and the organic disturbances which result we feel
waves of indignation and anger surging through us. This is the third factor in the
emotional event, or the emotion itself. In some such way as this are all of our
emotions aroused.
Origin of Characteristic Emotional Reactions.—Why do certain facts or
objects of consciousness always cause certain characteristic organic responses?
In order to solve this problem we shall have first to go beyond the individual and
appeal to the history of the race. What the race has found serviceable, the
individual repeats. But even then it is hard to see why the particular type of
physical response such as shrinking, pallor, and trembling, which naturally
follow stimuli threatening harm, should be the best. It is easy to see, however,
that the feeling which prompts to flight or serves to deter from harm's way might
be useful. It is plain that there is an advantage in the tense muscle, the set teeth,
the held breath, and the quickened pulse which accompany the emotion of anger,
and also in the feeling of anger itself, which prompts to the conflict. But even if
we are not able in every case to determine at this day why all the instinctive
responses and their correlate of feeling were the best for the life of the race, we
may be sure that such was the case; for Nature is inexorable in her dictates that
only that shall persist which has proved serviceable in the largest number of
cases.
An interesting question arises at this point as to why we feel emotion