Emotions, Reflexivity, and Action: An Interactionist Analysis'

Abstract

Data from a variety of sources are used to explore the relation between emotions and cognitions. Instead of positing the relation between cognitions and emotions, we explore the variety of ways that people experience their thoughts and feelings. A typology demonstrates four ways an individual may respond to a situation: reflexive and emotional, unreflexive and emotional, reflexive and without feeling, and neither reflexive nor emotional. In addition to describing these experiences, we examine the circumstances that give rise to them. By recognizing that individuals can suspend reflexivity, we begin to bridge the gap between the positivist and interactionist conceptions of emotion.