Demystifying Emotions

Préface
A detailed analysis of emotion theories in psychology and philosophy and the proposal of a new skeptical, goal-directed theory.

Auteur

Agnes Moors is an associate professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium, where she is a member of the Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences and the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology. Her research combines theoretical work, informed by philosophy, with empirical work.

Texte du rabat

"Whereas most scholars of emotion do not call the notion of emotion itself into question, this review engages in a critical examination of its scientific legitimacy. Demystifying Emotions provides a comprehensive typology of emotions by comparing major theories in psychology (evolutionary, network, appraisal, goal-directed, psychological constructionist, and social) and philosophy (feeling, judgmental, quasi-judgmental, perceptual, embodied, and motivational) in a systematic manner with the help of tools from philosophy of science, allowing scholars in both fields to understand the commonalities and differences between these theories. Agnes Moors also proposes her own novel, skeptical theory of emotions, called the goal-directed theory, based on the central idea that all kinds of behaviors and feelings are grounded in goal-striving. This book will appeal to readers in psychology, philosophy, and related disciplines who want to gain a deeper understanding of the controversies at play in the emotion domain"--

Résumé
Agnes Moors scrutinizes existing theories of emotions in psychology and philosophy, explaining the disagreements and controversies in both fields. She also outlines her own goal-directed theory of emotions, which takes on a skeptical approach, ultimately leading to the demystification of emotion as a scientific concept.

Contenu

Part I. Introduction: 1. Theory development and concepts; 2. Demarcation-explanation cycle applied to emotion theories; Part II. Emotion Theories One by One: 3. General precursors; 4. Evolutionary theories; 5. Network theories; 6. Stimulus evaluation theories; 7. Response evaluation theories; 8. Psychological constructionist theories; 9. Social theories; Part III: 10. Conclusion.