The Philosophical Implications of Some Theories of Emotion

Nahm, Milton C.

doi:10.1086/286593

Cited by 3 publications

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“…(pp. [44][45] In disregard of speculations of this sort, careful surveys of the available clinico-pathological data show that the clinical evidence invoked by Cannon and Bard is by no means conclusive. Thus Alpers (28) concludes:…”

Section: The Physiology Of Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Problem of Emotions.

Rapaport¹

1950

Emotions and Memory (2nd Unaltered Ed.).

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What are emotions? This is the first question the reader will expect to have answered. It is important for our problem to clarify what emotions are; it is difficult to see how, without such a clarification, the search for the relation of memory and emotion can become meaningful. Although we attempted to show in Chapter I that the concept and theory of both memory and emotions are in a process of reformation, there seems to be a difference between the status of the two. The concept "memory" will be more generally taken for granted than that of "emotions": "memory" is used at present in an all too narrow sense, a sense which prevents the mutual elucidation and unitary organization of such fields as perception memory, dream, phantasy, and thinking, but which at least makes for clarity of meaning. The concept "emotion," however, is used so broadly that it is difficult to ascertain its precise meaning. It will be our aim to clarify this meaning. First, we shall enumerate and discuss a few recent attempts at defining emotions; secondly, we shall survey the literature of the physiology of emotions; thirdly, we shall summarize the literature of the psychology of emotions; fourthly, we shall discuss the implications of a number of recent investigations which deal with the role of emotions in other processes of the human organism, such as learning, education, and bodily changes.Before commencing the course of discussion as outlined, a short appraisal of the complexity of the problem will be appropriate. What do we imply if we designate as "emotional disturbances" such a variety of phenomena as psychoses, neuroses, certain somatic maladies-hypertension, gastric ulcer -and behavior and educational difficulties? Is the implication of the term here identical with its implication in the phrase "emotional influence on memory"? Why is it that we speak without hesitation of the "emotional" character and origin of these problems, but investigations and discussions rarely make clear the sense in which they are "emotional"? Why is it that the systematic treatment of the problem of emotions deals in the main with the expressive movements, physiology, and localization of nervous action in emotions? It is not within our present scope to advance an * See also "Feelings and Emotions; The Wittenberg Symposium" (7), and Waahbum,M. ( 8).

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Section: The Physiology Of Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…J! See Nahm's (45) paper advocating a teleological theory, and the critical discussion of it by Weber and Rapaport (13) which advances an anti-teleological point of view.…”

Section: A Early Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Problem of Emotions.

Rapaport¹

1950

Emotions and Memory (2nd Unaltered Ed.).

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Biological necessity, emotional transformation, and personal value.

Rivera¹

A Century of Psychology as Science.

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Anyone who honestly surveys the past hundred years of work on the emotions must surely experience both humility and impatience. The sheer volume of the literature is overwhelming. Shibles's (1974) general bibliography lists about five hundred studies while Hillman (1961), who concentrates on the theoretical literature, refers to over five hundred studies which are largely different from those listed by Shibles.When we turn to the various specialties within the field, the literature becomes a quagmire. Izards (1971) bibliography of work relevant to the facial expression of emotion, Arnold's (1960a, b) account of the relevant physiological literature, Bandura's (1973) account of the work relevant to aggression, each lists over five hundred different references; and one can only speculate as to the number of completely different references to love, to fear, or to emotion within the psychoanalytic literature. Furthermore, while much of this work has merit, many investigators seem either to ignore or misunderstand the work that preceded their own, and many theories seem quite unrelated to either the facts or to other theories. Hence, we have a situation such that Hillman's careful delineation of theories requires the presentation of eighteen different types of theories of emotion. (There are over a hundred distinguishable theories and definitions of what an emotion is.) In order to see what we have learned about emotion, we must select, and this very selection 364

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Recent developments in the field of emotion.

Hunt¹

1941

Psychological Bulletin

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The Philosophical Implications of Some Theories of Emotion

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The Problem of Emotions.

The Problem of Emotions.

Biological necessity, emotional transformation, and personal value.

Recent developments in the field of emotion.

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