Theories Related to Emotion

Theory Characteristics Strengths Weaknesses
James-Lange
theory

 The theory proposes that
emotions occur as a
response to bodily or
physiological reactions to
stimuli.
 Individuals react to
stimuli within a given
setting.
 An emotional experience
is a result of people’s
physical responses.
 An emotion is only
experienced after
physiological arousal has
taken place.
 The emotional
expression occurs after
the subcortical centers of
the brain have been
activated.
 William James suggests
that emotions are
perceptions of
physiological responses
(Maiese, 2014).

1.The theory
maintains its
relevance to-date,
and its tenets are
supported by new
technology in the
field of psychology,
which allows
researchers to
better understand
how the body and
the brain respond to
and during
emotional
experiences.

2. brain scan
   studies done have
   supported the
   theory- they have
   revealed that basic
   emotions cause
   distinct patterns of
   activity within the
   brain’s neural
   networks.
3. More studies
   have shown that the
   way people
   experience
   emotions is
   influenced by the
   perception of
   internal physical
   states.
4. Neither Lange nor
   James builds their
   ideas on controlled
   experiments (Roald
   et al., 2018). The
   two theories
   founded their
   assumptions on
   correlation research.
5. Research shows
   that people and
   animals who have
   experienced major
   sensory losses, lack
   of sensation, and
   muscle paralysis
   were still capable of
   experiencing
   emotions. The
   studies have
   disapproved of
   James and Lange’s
   propositions that
   emotions are
   perceptions of
   bodily or
   physiological
   responses.
6. Emotions do not
   only occur as a
   result of
   physiological
   responses as factors
   such as the existing
   mental state of an
   individual and
   reactions of other
   people within the
   environment affect
   people’s emotional
   responses.

THEORIES RELATED TO EMOTION 3
The Cannon-
Bard theory

 Physical reactions and
feelings are triggered by
stimulating events within
the environment.
 Physiological arousal and
emotional experience
occur independently and
simultaneously.
 The emotional reaction is
not dependent on the
physical reaction, and
neither is the physical
reaction dependent on
the emotional reaction.
 According to Cannon-
Bard, both the reactions
originate from the
thalamus part of the
brain, which is
responsible for receiving
sensory information.

1.There is a
possibility that the
locus coeruleus,
which is the part of
the brain that
controls all aspects
of emotional
responses, is
located in the stem
of the brain.

2. Studies have
   shown that people
   with injuries related
   to the spinal cord
   still experience
   emotions although
   they do not receive
   any feedback from
   the autonomic
   nervous system
   (ANS), and this
   proves the theory’s
   main proposition
   that emotional
   responses and
   physiological
   arousal occur
   independently.

1.The theory
assumes that
emotions are not
influenced by
physical reactions,
but research shows
that facial
expressions and
other physical
reactions influence
emotions and vice
versa.
2.The theory
underemphasizes the
role of other parts of
the brain in
emotional processes
and only focuses on
the role of the
thalamus. However,
other parts of the
brain are also
involved in
emotional processes.

3. The theory’s basic
   assumption is that
   emotions are not
   caused by physical
   reactions. However,
   many scientific
   studies have
   disapproved of this
   idea. When people
   make certain facial
   expressions such as
   smiling, their
   emotions are likely
   to be influenced by
   the physiological
   process.

Schachter-
Singer
theory of
emotion

 Emotions occur as a
result of the interaction
between cognition and
physiological arousal
(Oatley & Johnson-
Laird, 2014).

1.The theory
explains how
experiences shape
cognitive
experiences and,
consequently,

1.The theory fails to
account for
emotional responses
that occur
unconsciously and
are not related to

THEORIES RELATED TO EMOTION 4

 Cognitive interpretation f
the physiological arousal
is dependent on the
context of each situation.
 Cognitive interpretations
are formed based on past
experiences- that is, how
a person labels and
understands their
experiences (Oatley &
Johnson-Laird, 2014).
 The theory differs from
the James-Lange theory,
which states that
emotions are caused by
physiological arousal.
This theory holds that
although bodily changes
can support certain
conscious emotional
experiences, they do not
necessarily cause them.
 The brain interprets
emotions based on the
circumstances and the
physiological state
(Oatley & Johnson-
Laird, 2014).

emotional
reactions.

any cognitive
processes.

Lazarus’
cognitive
mediational
theory

 Emotions are caused by
people’s appraisals of
stimuli (Lazarus, 1991).
 The appraisal is often
unconscious and usually,
immediate-it mediates
between the emotional
response and the stimuli.
 According to Lazarus,
the appraisal precedes
the cognitive labeling,
and it causes the
physiological arousal and
the emotional response to
occur simultaneously
(Lazarus, 1991).
 This theory differs from
Schachter-Singer’s theory

1.the theory
explains the
relationship
between emotion,
cognition, and
stress. It explains
causes of anxiety,
fear, and stress
based on past
experiences or
imaginations of
events that may
occur in the future.
Such thoughts are
cognitively
processed, leading
to emotional
responses such as

1.Body language
communicates a lot
of emotional
information, and
individuals respond
promptly to
emotional
information relayed
through bodily cues
or body language
(Fossati, 2012).
Individuals will
react to the
information even if
they are not
consciously aware
of it. This disproves
Lazarus’ main

THEORIES RELATED TO EMOTION 5

of emotions which holds
that emotions occur as a
result of the interaction
between cognition and
physiological arousal.
 Cognitive processes are
involved in controlling
the intensity and quality
of emotional responses
(Lazarus, 1991).
 Through appraisal, the
significance of the event
is established, as well as
the individual’s ability to
cope with the
consequences of the
event. Therefore, there
are primary and
secondary appraisals
which, according to
Lazarus, are involved in
judging the degree of the
potential threat that a
stressor or stimuli may
cause to the well-being
of an individual.

fear. proposition that
appraisal precedes
emotional response.
When a person sees
another smiling,
they are likely to
smile unconsciously
without first
knowing or
cognitively
processing the
stimuli.

THEORIES RELATED TO EMOTION 6

References

Fossati, P. (2012). Neural correlates of emotion processing: from emotional to social
brain. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 22, S487-S491.
Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Maiese, M. (2014). How can emotions be both cognitive and bodily?. Phenomenology and the
Cognitive Sciences, 13(4), 513-531.
Oatley, K., & Johnson-Laird, P. N. (2014). Cognitive approaches to emotions. Trends in
cognitive sciences, 18(3), 134-140.
Roald, T., Levin, K., & Køppe, S. (2018). Affective incarnations: Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s
challenge to bodily theories of emotion. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical
Psychology, 38(4), 205.