Major theories of emotion and arousal as they relate to human
motivation can be classified in three main categories, physiological,
neurological and cognitive.
Physiological theories suggest that responses within the body are
responsible for emotions. Neurological
theories propose that activity within the brain leads to emotional
responses. Cognitive theories suggest
that thought and other mental activity play an important role in the formation
of emotions.
The James-Lange theory of emotion was developed in 1884 by William
James and Carl Lange. This theory
suggests that emotions are a result of physiological changes. The emphasis of
the theory lies in the proposal that physiological changes in the autonomic
nervous system result in emotions, not that emotions cause physiological
changes ("James-Lange theory," 2009).
According to an article on about.com William James explained, “My thesis
on the contrary is that the bodily changes follow directly the PERCEPTION of
the exciting fact, and that our feelings of the same changes as they occur is
the emotion (Cherry, 2011).” The
James-Lange theory of emotion has been challenged by other theories of
emotions. The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion is a specific theory that
challenges the James-Lange theory.
The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion was developed in 1927 by Walter
Cannon and Philip Bard. This theory defends
the view that emotion-eliciting stimuli or events trigger physiological arousal
and the experience of emotion simultaneously and independently. The Cannon-Bard theory suggests that emotions
originate in the thalamus, which is the part of the brain that sends messages
from the sensory organs to the autonomic nervous system, cerebral cortex, and
skeletal muscles, thus affecting arousal, conscious thought, and motor
behavior. For example, if you heat a
sudden loud noise while at home alone, you may simultaneously feel afraid and
experience heart palpitations. Cannon
stated that bodily sensations alone could not evoke emotions ("Cannon-Bard
theory," 2009).
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