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THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO HUMAN EMOTIONS
These approaches base the understanding of emotional states on the physiology
of the body. They are the most ancient approaches used by ancient Greek and Roman
physicians.
Traditional Psychophysiological Approaches
The James-Lange Theory: Bodily Change and Behaviour are the
Impetus to Emotion
This theory was first proposed by William James and corroborated by Carl
Lange. Instead ofviewing perception ofan event as evoking an emotion, which leads to
psychophysiological changes, it says we first note an event, and then we experience
bodily changes, which lead to an emotion. In the words of the widely acknowledged
expert on the nature of human fear (LeDoux (1996:43), an emotion is "a sequence of
events that starts with the occurrence of an arousing stimulus and ends with a
passionate feeling, a conscious emotional experience." Evidence of emotions is the fast
heartbeat, sweating, etc. Different emotions are accompanied by different bodily
responses.
Cannon's Theory: The Brain as the Impetus to Emotion
Waiter Cannon, James's son-in-law, argued against the James-Lange theory
saying the identical psychological states could not be the cause of the different
emotions and the organs of the body are not sensitive enough to enable people to
differentiate between emotions, especially because they react slowly whereas emotions
are felt immediately after a stimulus is perceived.
Cannon went on to say that producing changes in the body associated with a
certain emotion does not make a person feel that emotion. He used an example of
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