Theories of Emotion
{
Angel Rojas
Rebecca Escobedo
Wendy Valenzuela
Different Theories of emotion
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James-Lange Theory
Cannon Bard Theory
Schachter-Singer theory
Opponent Process Theory
Stemberg’s Triangular theory of love
Essential Questions #1
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Which theory of emotion was correct?
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James-Lange
Cannon-Bard
Schachter-Singer
James-Lange theory
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Theory came about with 2 theorists Williams
James and Carl Lange
Was introduced in 1884-1887
Their theory was that emotion is not directly
caused by the sensitivity of the event but by the
bodily response
For example we must first experience fast
breathing, eyes dilating, heart racing etc. before
we actually become alarmed
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The brain notices the bodily response then
informing the person which emotion to take
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
James-Lange theory
Fear
(emotion)
Cannon-Bard Theory
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Theorist Walter Cannon believed that both James
and Lange had a good basic theory however it had
many flaws.
Introduced in 1927
He theorized that both bodily reactions and emotion
played a role on how to act in an alarming situation
Cannon believed this because one bodily reaction
could represent many things
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Heart racing can mean you’re angry or excited
Theorist Phillip Bard agreed with him and
continued researching the topic
Both determined that Emotion and Bodily reactions
act similarly but are independent variables.
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Fear
(emotion)
Cannon-Bard Theory
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1.
2.
3.
Who is experiencing the Schachter-Singer
theory?
The girl crying because she lost her dog
The thief who is running from the police
The women who is falling in love
Essential question # 2
Schachter-Singer Theory
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Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer proposed another theory
which was known as the Schachter-Singer theory
”It is where experiencing an emotion requires both bodily
response and an interpretation of the bodily response by
considering the particular situation the person is in at the
moment”
An example would be if my heart is racing and I am being
chased by a killer I might think that it is fear. If my heart is
racing and I am looking at the person I am in love with, I
might interpret that as excitement. Even though the bodily
response is the same, I might experience very different
emotions depending on the type of situation I am in.
Schachter-Singer Theory
Essential Question #3 and #4
Who created the Opponent- process Theory
and what are some of the ideas the make it
up?
 How is the Opponent-process Theory evident
in our every day life?
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Opponent-Process theory
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The Opponent-Process Theory was created by
Richard Solomon and John Corbit.
It explains our experiences of emotion in
relation to its opposites.
It also states that an experience of an emotion
disrupts our bodies state of balance and that
our emotions have opposing counterparts.
Opposite Emotions
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Examples of opposite emotions would be:
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Happy and sad
Pleasure and pain
Excitement and depression
When we experience one emotion, its opposite
is suppressed.
Once the first emotion subsides, we begin to
start feeling the opposite emotion to balance
out the other one
Stemberg’s Triangular Theory
of Love
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The Triangular Theory of Love was developed
by Robert Sternberg.
He discusses the subject of interpersonal
relationships and the 3 components that make
up a love triangle.
The 3 components are:
Passion
Intimacy
Commitment
The Three
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Passion- Being sexually and physically
attracted to that person
Intimacy- Feeling a sense of closeness and
attachment to a person
Commitment- Wanting to create a short-term
relationship with someone, and wanting
to stay with someone in a long-term
relationship
Different Types of Love
Nonlove
 Liking/friendship
 Infatuated love
 Empty Love
 Romantic love
 Companionate love
 Fatuous Love
 Consummate love
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Cites
Contrasting Theories on Emotion. (n.d.). etheories. Retrieved February 23,
2014, from http://eweb.furman.edu/~einstein/general
 Four Theories of Emotion. (n.d.). Four Theories of Emotion. Retrieved February
23, 2014, from http://webspace.ship.edu/tosato/emotion.htm
 Introduction to William James. (n.d.). Introduction to William James. Retrieved
February 26, 2014, from http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Pajares/hun
 Join Academia.edu & Share your research with the world. (n.d.). Cognitive
Theories of Emotion. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from
http://www.academia.edu/867460/Cognitive_Theories_of_Emotion
 McCubbin, J. A. (n.d.). Chapter 13 Emotion. 13Emotion. Retrieved February 27,
2014, from http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/.../13Emotion.ppt
 Opponent-Process Theory. (n.d.). Opponent-Process Theory. Retrieved
February 23, 2014, from http://www.mhhe.com/cls/psy/ch10/opponent.mhtml
 Forrest, K. D. (n.d.) Chapter 11 Emotion. Emotion. Retrieved February 27, 2014,
from
web.gccaz.edu/~kshinema/emotion%202.ppt
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Theories of Emotion. (n.d.). Theories of Emotion. Retrieved February 23, 2014,
from
http://www.westmont.edu/~bsmith/general/lectureoutlines/12emotion/theorie
semotions.html
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