Basic Principles and Methods in the Psychology of Emotions

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the description of some basic principles of emotion psychology and the various methods and techniques used in emotion research. These principles and methods will be illustrated with summaries of studies drawn from the growing body of literature in this area. The psychology of emotion and its methods emerged against a background of opposing forces ranging from inertia in psychological theorizing to outright rejection of emotion concepts by some of psychology’s leading theorists and model builders. Perhaps a brief look at these forces may give the student a better appreciation of the status of emotion in contemporary science and of the relationship of emotion theory and research to other theories and other realms of investigation.