ASPECTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND PERSONALITY IN TERMS OF DIFFERENTIAL EMOTIONS THEORY

Abstract

Differential emotions theory is presented as a framework for the study of the emotions as a personality subsystem. A major focus of the theory is the process by which emotions interact with other subsystem functions. This emphasis necessitates the integration of the theory's theoretical conceptions with formulations (and empirical findings) from diverse disciplines in the social and biological sciences. Basic to the theory is its conception of a fundamental emotion as a complex motivational phenomenon with characteristic neurophysiological, expressive, and experiential components. Ten discrete emotions are described, each with its innately programmed neurophysiological substrate, universally recognized facial expression, and motivational subjective experience. These emotions are seen as activators and organizers of behavior, rather than as inherently pathological forces.