The language of emotions: An analysis of a semantic field

Johnson‐Laird, P. N.; Oatley, Keith

doi:10.1080/02699938908408075

Cited by 470 publications

(301 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…These anger-prompting negative feelings conceivably could have been a reaction to some subconscious stimulus. Johnson- Laird and Oatley (1989) had essentially raised just such a possibility when they proposed that anger sometimes arises for no clearly apparent reason.…”

Section: Must There Be An External Cause Of the Negative Event?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

486

417

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Research bearing on several popular conceptions of the major determinants of anger arousal indicates that the particular appraisals often identified as causes of anger frequently only serve to affect the intensity of the anger that is generated. Research into effects of physical pain or other physically unpleasant conditions or involving social stresses suggests that decidedly aversive conditions are a major spur to anger. Experiments are also reviewed showing that anger-related muscular movements can also lead to anger-related feelings, memories, cognitions, and autonomic responses. Alternative explanations for the findings are discussed. The authors urge emotion theorists to widen their methodology and analyses so that they give careful, detailed attention to the many different factors that can influence anger.A great many people are angry at one time or another. After surveying studies dating back to World War I, Averill (1982) concluded that "Depending upon how records are kept, most people report becoming mildly to moderately angry anywhere from several times a day to several times a week" (p. 1146). Perhaps because this emotion is so common, 1 specific definitions of this term often vary in detail (see Averill, 1982;Kassinove, 1995, for reviews of the many different usages of this word), and there are many different, and even opposing, cultural beliefs prescribing how and when this affective state should be managed.Although there certainly is no shortage of research articles dealing with anger, investigators inquiring into the development and functioning of emotions would do well to devote more of their effort and ingenuity to the study of this particular affective state. It obviously is a socially very important emotion, one that has attracted a great deal of attention in the mass media as well as in the various health fields, but it also presents emotion theorists with a number of intriguing conceptual questions. As just one example, there is the often-assumed relationship between hedonic valence and approach-avoidance inclinations. According to Watson, Wiese, Vaidya, and Tellegen (1999), positive affect is typically associated with approach tendencies, whereas negative arousal is usually linked to an urge to avoid the instigating stimulus. Anger seems to be relatively unique in this regard and is often associated with approach rather than with avoidance inclinations (see Harmon-Jones & Allen, 1998;Harmon-Jones & Sigelman, 2001). Then too, research into the conditions under which anger is aroused can also touch on the metatheoretical controversy as to whether emotions can be evoked independently of cognitions. Although we do not want to revive the now well-worn argument as to just what is involved in the concept cognition, if one adopts the relatively restricted definition favored by Izard (1993) and Zajonc Leonard Berkowitz and Eddie Harmon-Jones, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.We thank the individuals who provided valuable comments on previous versions of this article: Jack B...

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Section: Must There Be An External Cause Of the Negative Event?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

486

417

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“…Johnson-Laird and Oatley (1989) define nostalgia as positive emotion with tones of loss. They view nostalgia as a complex emotion, characterized by high-level cognitive appraisal and propositional content.…”

Section: Mixed Affectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nostalgia: Content, triggers, functions.

Wildschut¹,

Sedikides²,

Arndt³

et al. 2006

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

916

102

1,644

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Seven methodologically diverse studies addressed 3 fundamental questions about nostalgia.Studies 1 and 2 examined the content of nostalgic experiences. Descriptions of nostalgic experiences typically featured the self as a protagonist in interactions with close others (e.g., friends) or in momentous events (e.g., weddings). Also, the descriptions contained more expressions of positive than negative affect and often depicted the redemption of negative lifescenes by subsequent triumphs. Studies 3 and 4 examined triggers of nostalgia and revealed that nostalgia occurs in response to negative mood and the discrete affective state of loneliness.Studies 5, 6, and 7 investigated the functional utility of nostalgia and established that nostalgia bolsters social bonds, increases positive self-regard, and generates positive affect. These findings demarcate key landmarks in the hitherto uncharted research domain of nostalgia.Nostalgia 3

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“…In the 196Os, Arnold (1960) and Lazarus (1968) had explicitly formulated theories incorporating rudimentary appraisal criteria in an effort to explain the emotional consequences of being faced with a particular event. At the beginning of the 1980s a number of psychologists independently proposed detailed and comprehensive sets of appraisal criteria to explain the elicitation and differentiation of the emotions (De Rivera, 1977;Frijda, 1986;Johnson-Laird & Oatley, 1989;Mees, 1985;Ortony, Clore, & Collins, 1988;Roseman, 1984Roseman, , 1991Scherer, 1981Scherer, , 1982Scherer, ,1983Scherer, , 1984aScherer, ,b, 1986Smith & Ellsworth, 1985Solomon, 1976;Weiner, 1982) and engaged in empirical research to demonstrate the validity of these hypothetical suggestions (Ellsworth & Smith, 1988;Frijda, 1987;Frijda, Kuipers, & ter Schure, 1989;Gehm & Scherer, 1988;Manstead & Tetlock, 1989;Reisenzein & Hofrnann, 1990;Roseman, 1984Roseman, , 1991Roseman, Spindel, & Jose, 1990;Smith & Ellsworth, 1985Tesser, 1990;Weiner, 1986). In a comparative review of such "appraisal theories of emotion differentiation" Scherer (1988) attempted to show the extraordinary degree of convergence of the different theoretical suggestions, especially with respect to the central criteria postulated in the different approaches (see Table 1, reproduced from Scherer, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying the emotion-antecedent appraisal process: An expert system approach

Scherer

1993

Cognition & Emotion

328

220

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The surprising convergence between independently developed appraisal theories of emotion elicitation and differentiation is briefly reviewed. It is argued that three problems are responsible for the lack of more widespread acceptance of such theories: (1) the criticism of excessive cognitivism raised by psychologists working on affective phenomena; (2) the lack of process orientation in linking appraisal to the complex unfolding of emotion episodes over time; and (3) the lack of consensus on the number and types of appraisal criteria between theorists in this domain. Although readers are referred to recent theoretical discussions and evidence from the neurosciences with respect to the first two issues, an empirical study using computerised experimentation is reported with respect to the third issue. Data obtained with an expert system based on Scherer's (1984a) "stimulus evaluation check" predictions show the feasibility of this approach in determining the number and types of appraisal criteria needed to explain emotion differentiation. It is suggested to use computer modelling and experimentation as a powerful tool to further theoretical development and collect pertinent data on the emotion-antecedent appraisal process.

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The language of emotions: An analysis of a semantic field

Cited by 470 publications

References 15 publications

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Nostalgia: Content, triggers, functions.

Studying the emotion-antecedent appraisal process: An expert system approach

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